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Surveillance footage released of hit and run that critically injured skateboarder

Posted at 9:39 PM, Feb 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-14 08:21:09-05

SALT LAKE CITY - Police hope surveillance video will help them find the driver who hit a skateboarder last Sunday near Liberty Park. Watching the video makes 25-year-old Austin Bryson realize how lucky he is to be alive.

A home surveillance camera captured the car seconds before it hit Austin while he was riding his skateboard. While you can’t see the car hit him, you can hear it.

“The sound I mean how hard he hit me,” Austin said. “If that little tiny camera could hear me across the street that loud.”

The driver sped off leaving Austin bleeding in the street, his cries for help echoing throughout the neighborhood. Several people sprinted toward Bryson to help.

“To see something so horrific like that it looked like his brain matter was coming out of his head," said Christina Hernandez, a good Samaritan who rushed to help Bryson.

Hernandez wrapped Bryson's head with her hoodie while another woman called 911.

“You could just tell he was really, really hurt I didn't know if he was going to make it because of how bad his head injury was and his leg was really, really twisted,” Hernandez said.  “To know people are that ruthless is very scary."

Now Austin prays police can find whoever was behind the wheel of this car.

“Closure for me and my family, it bothers me someone just brushed it off like I was nothing just left me there like was nothing,” Bryson said.

Bryson now has more than 800 stitches in his head, a shattered leg and months until he can go back to work. His loved ones have set up a Gofundme page to help him with the overwhelming medical costs. Detectives say if you have any information on this case, call Salt Lake City Police.