A motorist hit a pedicab driver and two passengers, then drove away, Austin police said.
It happened at the corner of 5th and San Antonio early Sunday morning.
"We were riding, and all of the sudden I was picking myself up off the ground my head was completely soaked in blood," said Eric Soelzer, passenger.
Soelzer and roommate Ryan Gadd got into a pedicab on West 6th Street around 1 a.m. They rode for a couple minutes before an SUV struck them from behind.
The driver never stopped. Witnesses estimate the SUV was traveling around 40 miles an hour.
"At that moment, I didn't know if he was OK. It was pretty scary. I could hear him making a groaning noise. I could see him laying down," said Soelzer.
Both were taken to the hospital. Gadd was knocked unconscious. He has no recollection of the accident.
"Basically, I just woke up in a neck brace and they were putting stitches and the staple in," Gadd said.
The pedicab driver -- Mateo Camacho -- suffered the worst injuries.
He slammed face first into the street and had to get 18 stitches across his face. He told KVUE News over the phone that he will be scared for life.
Gadd and Soelzer are still sore and depend on pain killers just to get through the day.
"The pain is manageable, but when you're moving around and bending and stuff like that -- it can spike up to where it really hurts," Gadd said.
What also hurts the men is knowing that someone could do this and keep going.
"Look, this person is still out driving right now -- no consequence (and) obviously no regard for what happened," Soelzer said. "We could've been seriously hurt or killed. We're lucky this is all that happened to us."
Police have released a description of the hit and run vehicle. It is a white SUV, possibly a Ford Bronco, with a grill guard on the front and big tires.
The pedicab belongs to Roadkill Pedicab. The owner of the company says each pedicab is outfitted with bright LED lights, so he thinks it's impossible for a driver not to see them.
