A man is in a critical condition in hospital after being accidentally hit by a taxi in Napier early this morning.
The 34-year-old man may have been involved in an altercation on the footpath of Milton Road before he was hit about 1.30am, Detective Emmet Lynch said.
He was extensively injured and remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of Hawkes Bay Hospital this afternoon.
The taxi had two paying customers on board. It did not intentionally strike the man, Mr Lynch said.
Police were piecing together how the man came to be on the road and wanted to speak to witnesses.
Investigations were centred on identifying and speaking to three men seen with the man before he was hit, Mr Lynch said.
One was described as a slightly built Maori, about 16 years old, with short hair. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and white shoes.
The second was a dark skinned Maori or Polynesian, aged about 16. He had his hair tied in a ponytail with two curly lengths down each side of his face.
The third was a Maori aged about 17, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
Mr Lynch asked anyone with information to contact police.
