It has been revealed that former prime minister Scott Morrison has been undergoing treatment in a Sydney hospital after being injured by a vehicle while walking home from church at the weekend. (main picture)

A NSW Police spokesperson said Mr Morrison was almost home on Sunday afternoon when an electric ute towing a boat mounted the footpath he was using and ran him down.

The ute in question is believed to be one of the first of thousands now being imported to Australia and was on a test drive when the incident occurred. (below)

“Officers are still examining the circumstances leading to Mr Morrison being injured and have yet to decide whether charges will follow,” the spokesperson said.

“At this stage police are classifying the incident as a ‘hit-and-stay’.

“That’s different to a hit-and-run because the driver in this case didn’t leave the scene.

“He hung around until an ambulance and police arrived, he stayed with Mr Morrison in the ambulance to Sutherland Hospital, and right now is at his bedside, reading to the former PM motoring magazine articles saying these powerful electric vehicles, even electric trucks, have been around for years. 

“The ute driver tells us he plans to stick with Mr Morrison even when the ex-PM is discharged and goes home,” the police spokesperson said.

A NSW Health representative could not detail Mr Morrison’s injuries nor his condition.

“All I can tell you is that he is lying in bed,” she said. “But then again, he was lying in the emergency department when he arrived, and the paramedics said he was lying in the ambulance on the way here on Sunday.

“He’s been slipping in and out of consciousness, muttering that he refuses to believe that electric ute had the power to mount a footpath kerb let alone tow a boat to the beach or get a family to its favourite camping spot.”

The driver of the ute, who cannot be identified at this stage for legal reasons, said he planned to stay by Mr Morrison’s side as long as possible.

“I’m not doing that out of any sense of guilt or anxiety,” he explained. “I just want to be there in his face so I can keep reminding him what an absolute lying arsehole he is and always has been.”