KELOWNA – An elderly man crossing a busy Kelowna road on New Year’s Eve was hit by a SUV and rushed to hospital in serious condition.

RCMP say the 78-year-old Kelowna man was crossing Springfield Road in the 1600-block near the Chances casino at about 5:13 p.m., Dec. 31, when he was struck by an eastbound Suzuki Swift.

The man was wearing dark clothing and “did not appear” to be in a marked crosswalk, according to Const. Jesse O'Donaghey in a media release.

The victim was taken to Kelowna General Hospital by ambulance with “serious potentially life threatening injuries.”

“The driver, a 21-year-old Lake Country man, remained at the scene and is cooperating with police,” O’Donaghey says in the release. “Police have ruled out alcohol as a contributing factor and strongly believe that speed was also not a factor.”

A collision reconstruction analyst is looking for the cause of the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the crash, and hasn’t spoken with police, is asked to call Const. Carsons at the Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section at 250-980-5353.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.