A Butler man accused of striking a pedestrian Saturday on East Brady Street said he believed he hit a trash can instead of a pedestrian, Butler City police said in charges filed Thursday, Jan. 22.

Justin Henry Austin, 24, was charged Thursday, Jan. 22, by Butler City police with one felony count each of accident involving injury and aggravated assault by vehicle, and six summary counts following the Saturday incident.

Police said Butler Ambulance Service was already on scene treating the unconscious James Perry around 2 p.m. near the intersection of East Brady and North Monroe streets when they arrived.

Witnesses told police the black four-door sedan that hit Reed drove off the road at high speeds onto the sidewalk, struck Reed and continued into two more yards before it returned to the road. The vehicle was seen driving east on East Brady Street by Elm Street. Officers on scene saw tire tracks in the grass and snow that showed the vehicle’s path.

Perry was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and treated for serious injuries including broken bones, police said. After being struck, Perry was thrown by the impact into the passenger side fender near the tire of a parked car.

Geoffrey Goeppner, the owner of the vehicle, said the impact left a dent. He estimated the impact threw Perry eight to 10 feet into the vehicle.

Goeppner said Perry is a veteran, and he occasionally sees him loading poles into his car to go fishing with his friends. Goeppner said another neighbor had spoken with Perry’s family and reported he’s recovering in the hospital.

Police received a tip Sunday about the vehicle possibly involved in the incident being parked on Wilkes Avenue. Police found the vehicle was a black Dodge Dart with front-end damage with its license plate removed.

Police then used the vehicle’s VIN number to obtain a license plate number, and the license plate number was used to track the vehicle’s path Saturday. The vehicle could be seen just before 2 p.m. without damage sustained in the crash. Later footage of the vehicle showed the new damage.

Police then found Austin owned the vehicle and interviewed him Thursday. He told police he was driving the vehicle and hit a patch of ice on East Brady Street, lost control and drove onto the sidewalk. Austin told police he believed he struck a trash can instead of a pedestrian.

Austin’s preliminary hearing is yet to be scheduled.

A GoFundMe started by his daughter, Amelia Perry, said James Perry was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and had a surgical nail placed in one of his legs. The effort had raised $1,495 Thursday afternoon.