The driver who attempted to flee from the scene of a road accident in which a child was seriously injured has been arrested, police said on Saturday.

Deputy Prime Minister Anja Simpraga confirmed to Hina on Saturday that the driver was the head of her office.

The accident occurred on Friday in Stikada, near Gracac, about 70 kilometres inland from the coastal city of Zadar. The 45-year-old driver, driving under the influence of alcohol, skidded off the road and hit a 10-year-old child who was walking by the edge of the road in the opposite direction. He attempted to leave the scene without helping the injured boy, police said.

The child suffered multiple injuries and was transferred to the Gospic General Hospital and from there to the Zagreb Clinical Hospital Centre, where he underwent surgery. “He is now in stable condition and his life is not in danger,” the hospital’s director Ante Corusic told Hina.

Šimpraga said that the police were investigating the case and that she would initiate the procedure for the dismissal of her head of office.

“As soon as we learnt this, we contacted the boy’s family to express our regret for this unacceptable and unjustifiable act. What is most important is that the child’s condition is stable, and we wish him a speedy recovery,” Simpraga said.