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 an affidavit accompanying charges filed Thursday, Jan. 22.

Justin Henry Austin, 24, was charged 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 at the scene of the accident 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 a black four-door sedan hit Reed after it traveled off the road at high speed onto the sidewalk. It then continued into two yards before it returned to the road.

The vehicle was then seen traveling east on East Brady Street by Elm Street. Officers on scene saw tire tracks in the grass and snow showing the vehicle’s path.

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

Geoffrey Goeppner, the owner of the vehicle Perry was thrown into, said the impact left a dent. He estimated the impact threw Perry 8 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 a vehicle possibly involved in the incident being parked on Wilkes Avenue. Police found the vehicle was a black Dodge Dart with front-end damage and its license plate removed.

Police then used the vehicle’s VIN number to obtain a license plate number, which 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.

According to police, he told them 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 for Perry by his daughter, Amelia Perry, said her father was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and had a surgical nail placed in one of his legs. The effort had raised $1,495 as of Thursday afternoon.