The woman was talking about an incident which resulted in a wheelchair-user being taken to Dunedin Hospital in a critical condition.
She said she was driving in King Edward St near the Oxford St intersection about 4.30pm when she saw an oncoming utility vehicle and "thought it was overtaking".
"It headed straight for me at high speed."
She slowed further and the ute passed her passenger side door, about 2m away, and mounted the footpath on her side of King Edward St.
The motorist, who asked not to be named, said there was a "bang" as the utility hit something, and it then crossed the street behind her, eventually coming to rest, partly on the footpath, at the edge of the southbound lane.
Today she voiced concern for the "poor person'' who was in the electric wheelchair.
Full details are not yet available from police, but part of the street, including near Oxford St, was cordoned off on Wednesday night, and the Serious Crash Unit is investigating.
The motorist said she thought the ute's driver may have had a medical event.
A police spokeswoman later said it wasn't known if police were considering this possibility, and further details were not available.
The woman said she was only starting to realise that her own life could have been at risk.
"I never thought that he might hit me.''
But, having not considered that possibility before, she was now thinking that her close encounter could have ended much worse for her.
"It just shows you can be quietly driving or walking along and `kaput', that's it.''
Asked if she had thought of buying a Lotto ticket after her near-miss, she said she was likely to buy one this Saturday.
She was now thinking not about herself but about the "poor person'' who had been hit and "the poor person in the ute''.
She was only now becoming aware that the incident could have ended worse, both for her and for other members of the public.
Had the crash happened an hour earlier, pupils attending nearby secondary schools could have been hurt, and when the vehicle careered across the street, other motorists could also have been at risk.
She was impressed by the way members of the public had rallied round to help after the crash.
