A NEWCOMB family’s tech-savvy detective work tracked down the driver who hit their daughter and her friend and left them injured on the roadside.

Indi Braniff, then 13, and friend Holly, then 14, were hit from behind while walking on the verge of a Moolap street on July 10 last year.

Indi was pinned under the car while Holly was unconscious with multiple fractures and bleeding on the brain and lung when driver Kristian Loricco, 37, reversed and drove off.

In sentencing Loricco to 3½ years in jail with a minimum of two years and three months to serve, Judge Jane Campton on Friday acknowledged Indi’s stepfather’s detective work which led to Loricco’s arrest within 24 hours.

Indi’s mum Kylie Dyson told the Geelong Advertiser her partner Tom Herceg returned to the scene at Twitt St the next day to try to find the two girls’ mobile phones and found the lens of a car headlight and flecks of maroon paint on a pole Loricco had hit with such speed it was ripped from the ground.

“I posted a photo of the lens on Facebook asking people about it and Googled a few things and we found the type of car, and I’d only ever seen (one of) that car around here,” Ms Dyson said.

Confirming the colour with the paint flecks, the girls’ families went to Loricco’s house that afternoon with the police in tow.

“If it wasn’t for Tom I really don’t know what would have happened because the car was already being pulled apart,” Ms Dyson said.

“Tom went flat out, he didn’t stop.” Ms Dyson said she thanked god that Indi hadn’t been seriously injured and had forgiven Loricco.

“I hope he can rehabilitate himself,” she said.

Judge Campton described Loricco’s decision to leave the scene as “selfish”, “disturbing” and “totally abhorrent”.

She said, given Loricco reported being traumatised by his own son being hit by a car in the week’s before the crash, it was “inexplicable” that he had not assisted the girls or phoned for help.

Loricco, of Newcomb, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious injury, reckless conduct endangering a person, fail to assist, driving without a licence and driving an unregistered vehicle.

The court heard Loricco, who has priors for careless driving and drink-driving, had taken prescription drugs, which have a sedative effect, that day. It also heard that he had a history of abusing alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines and heroin.