EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — An 18-year-old woman was seriously injured and has a long road to recovery after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Eastpointe while trying to catch a bus on Tuesday night.
Watch Christiana Ford's video report:
Eastpointe police say De'Asia Pesti was crossing Eight Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue, not at a crosswalk. She was hit by a white pickup truck that never stopped around 9:15 p.m. while trying to catch a nearby bus.
Her parents, Geneva Newton and Darryl Pesti, say they and De'Asia's friends haven't left her side since she was rushed to the hospital.
"It's unreal. It's unreal that someone would really leave my baby like that," Newton said.
The impact left De'Asia with a broken leg, lacerations on her spleen, broken ribs, and requiring emergency open heart surgery because doctors thought she had a tear in her heart. Despite her severe injuries, Newton says she remembers everything about the crash.
"My baby almost lost her life," Newton said.
While the driver fled the scene, a good Samaritan, Jade Matthews, stopped to help.
"They hit her, and they kept on going. They didn't stop. They didn't slow down. They never stopped to check on her or anything. So my first thought was to pull behind her because I seen that the light was about to change again. I'm like, somebody's going to run her over again. So I went and parked right where her body was, and I threw my hazards on. I jumped out, I went over there, and I was talking to her," Matthews said.
De'Asia's parents called her a hero.
"I didn't look at it like a hero. I just looked at it like if I have an 18-year-old daughter and she looked young, that I would want somebody to do the same for my daughter," Matthews said.
De'Asia's father expressed frustration with the driver's decision to leave the scene.
"My whole thing is you didn't get out and check. The roads wasn't slippery. There was nothing stopping you from just checking," Pesti said.
As De'Asia faces a long road to recovery, her parents are seeking justice and answers.
"We gone find you if you don't turn yourself in," Pesti said.
Eastpointe police are investigating the hit-and-run and say the suspect vehicle is a white pickup truck. If anyone has any information on the suspect or the vehicle they were driving, you're urged to call Det. Burkall at 586-445-9120
The family is asking anyone with information to come forward.
"It could be anonymous. Just help me find out who did this to my baby," Newton said.
The family is raising money to help with medical bills through a GoFundMe campaign.
Friday, De'Asia returned to the ICU due to fluid around her chest.
———————————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
