A man has been charged after a woman allegedly narrowly avoided being hit by a car on the footpath outside a restaurant in Auckland's Takapuna in May.
In CCTV footage supplied to 1News, Botticelli employee Karen Edde could be seen leaving the premises on Anzac St around 10.30pm on May 29.
As she spoke on the phone, a white BMW car mounted the footpath at speed and barrelled towards her.
Edde, who is also a mum-of-two, told 1News she felt "lucky" to have jumped back just in time to avoid being hit.
"I just saw it coming and my reaction was just run back to the restaurant. It didn't seem real. I honestly thought it was gonna come inside the restaurant.
Edde said the aftermath of the scary experience was horrible and she "couldn't stop crying".
"It took me a bit to recover mentally. I had a adrenaline rush — it was horrible. I felt paralysed and my whole body was tingling."
'Sheer luck' the incident was not fatal - police
Sergeant Christopher Lindsay said the car involved had allegedly been seen doing burnouts on the street at the time.
"It is probably by sheer luck that we were not investigating a fatality because of this idiotic behaviour."
He said police carried out an "extensive" search for CCTV footage and information to assist the investigation.
"We have since identified the vehicle that we will allege was involved.
"Police acknowledge Takapuna businesses for their assistance in this matter."
Lindsay said the public should be able to feel safe on our roads.
"When this sort of illegal behaviour happens on the road, those drivers not only put other motorists and members of the community in danger, they also put themselves at risk."
A 19-year-old man has been summonsed to the North Shore District Court on a charge of dangerous driving.
He will appear on July 25.
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