EASTPOINTE, Mich. – A family is searching for the driver who hit their 18-year-old daughter Tuesday night in Eastpointe and drove off, leaving De’asia Pesti seriously injured in the roadway.
Local 4 spoke with Lt. Alex Holish with the Eastpointe Police Department, and he said the call for the hit-and-run came in around 9 p.m. It was near the intersection of Eight Mile Road and Gratiot Avenue.
He said the woman was crossing the street outside of the crosswalk when she was hit by a white truck.
Darryl Pesti, De’asia’s father, said that from this crash his daughter has suffered broken ribs, a broken leg and underwent open-heart surgery.
He said doctors feared her heart had a tear in it, but luckily, there wasn’t.
“I’m heated to a level of anger that they ran her over,” Darryl said. “They could have stopped. They could have checked on her, but they just left her. They don’t know if she’s alive or dead.”
Jade Matthews, who witnessed the crash, said she saw De’asia running across the street with her friends before being hit.
“A white truck hit her, struck her, and they tossed her up in the air,” Matthews said. “She did flips,” Matthews said. “Her shoes flew across the street.”
Matthews said she rushed to help De’asia. Making sure she stayed with her until first responders arrived. However, she’s struggled to process what she witnessed.
“Check on somebody,” Matthews said. “That is somebody’s daughter. It could be somebody’s mother, sister, anything. I just feel like that was a heartless move.”
Darryl Pesti said his daughter faces a long recovery, but she’s a fighter. He also wants the driver responsible to turn themselves in or anyone with information to tell the police.
While Local 4 was speaking with Lt. Holish, he mentioned their investigators are waiting to receive surveillance footage from a nearby fast-food restaurant to further their investigation.
The family is raising money to help with medical bills. More information can be found here.