THE elderly man found in the middle of the A35 in the early hours of Sunday morning is thought to be suffering from dementia.
Police believe the 79-year-old from Ryall may have been the victim of a hit and run driver after his body was found on Chideock Hill just west of the village at around 4.45am.
The man is still in Dorset County Hospital where his condition is described as stable. He has been unable to help police with their enquiries.
Police think his injuries are thought to have been caused by a collision with a motor vehicle which left the scene without contacting police.
A spokesman said: “We would urge this driver or any witnesses to the collision, or who saw the man in the road prior to the collision, to contact Dorset Police on the non emergency number 101.”
Police closed the road for hours while they carried out forensics tests to establish how the man sustained his life-changing injuries.
He is believed to have head and back injuries.