BY JESSICA ROUSE

A man is fighting for life in the John Hunter Hospital after being struck by a van on the Central Coast overnight.

Police say at about 11:30pm a 23-year-old ran across Wallarah Road at Kanwal and was struck by an eastbound van.

The man was thrown into the westbound lanes where passers-by helped him.

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition and is undergoing surgery.

The man who was driving the van, a 28-year-old, was taken to Wyong Hospital for mandatory tests.

Police from Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command are investigating, and initial investigations suggest the man may have been with four other people on the side of the road and gotten involved in an altercation before he was struck.

Police are urging any witnesses to come forward.