AN elderly man is fighting for his life in Southampton General Hospital after he was in collision with a car in New Milton yesterday morning.

The 85-year-old, who has not been named, is a resident at the Barton Lodge Care Home in Barton Common Road.

Staff member Andrea Hardy said members of the seriously ill victim’s family had visited him in Southampton General Hospital and had attended the care home in the afternoon to discuss the situation with staff.

They want to retain their privacy, she said.

“All they want, like us, is that the gentleman recovers well from the incident.”

The accident happened at the junction of Old Milton Road and the A337 Lymington Road at 7.52am.

The man was crossing the road when he was in collision with a blue Nissan Primera car driven by a 73-year-old man from Wimborne.

He suffered serious head injuries and was flown to Southampton General Hospital by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Yesterday afternoon, Hampshire Police said he was still in a “critical” condition.

He had left the Barton-on-Sea care home to walk the mile to the shops at Old Milton and was on his way back when the collision occurred.

Andrea Hardy described him as “a fit and active bloke”.

The car driver was uninjured.

Police would like to talk to anyone who saw the collision, or either the victim or the car before the crash, to contact PC Ian Bassett at Totton Roads Policing Unit on 0845 045 4545 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111 quoting Operation Naver.

Peak time traffic was disrupted while police accident investigators studied the scene. The car was removed at about 10.30am.