A MAN who was left in a critical condition after being hit by a car while walking on the A64 had been stopped by police from doing the same thing on the same night.

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said before the accident happened at about 9.35pm on Friday night, two members of the public reported seeing the man, who is in his mid-40s and from York, walking along the A169 towards Pickering.

The spokeswoman said: “A police officer picked the man up and took him to Malton bus station and encouraged him to use public transport to get to his destination. However, he chose not to do so and then attempted to walk to York along the A64 which has unfortunately resulted in the collision.”

The man was walking along the eastbound carriageway of the A64 near Barton-le-Willows when the collision happened. He was taken to York Hospital, where he remained yesterday when his condition was described as “stable”. Police previously said the pedestrian was struck by a blue Renault Clio, which was travelling towards Malton, about 400 metres west of the Barton-le-Willows junction with Steelmoor Lane, near the Jinnah Restaurant.

The occupants of the Renault, who are from the Barnsley area, were uninjured.

Police re-appealed to anybody who saw a man wearing a dark jacket and jeans walking along the A64 from the direction of Malton to York between 6.30pm and 9.30pm on Friday to phone North Yorkshire Police eastern road policing unit on 0845 6060247.

As reported in The Press yesterday, Derek Duffill died after he was knocked from his bicycle while cycling on a mini roundabout between Rawcliffe Lane, Green Lane and Eastholme Drive, in York, at about 10.25am on Saturday.

Police urged anyone who witnessed the collision to phone PC Gemma Brett on 0845 6060247.