PERRY COUNTY, Pa. -- State Police have charged a man in connection to a hit and run in Perry County.
Troopers say Michael Cassel, 26, of Newport hit a driver on Route 34 and then took off in his truck.
Cassel hit another car with two women inside at the time - a woman and her daughter, who is eight and a half months pregnant.
It was a trip to buy Christmas presents, but now the only thing Nancy Donie and her mother Klaudia have are questions.
“Just why?" they asked. "Why wouldn’t you just stayed? What went through your head? Why leave? It could’ve been so much simpler."
When Cassel hit the rear, he destroyed a trunk full of gifts for loved ones and a special investment: the car.
"It was my boyfriend and I’s first financial thing together. We’ve had it two years now. We were about to have a baby girl, and it was all set up to be a family sedan, like it was supposed to be, but now, it’s not," said Donie.
It happened around five in the evening. Donie noticed a truck getting closer and closer; lights blinded her vision.
"I thought he was going to pass me, and he didn’t. He just pushed me. He pushed me three telephone lengths, and I just tried to keep the car on the road," explained Donie.
Donie gripped the wheel to avoid poles on either side of the road and wondered what Cassel would do next.
"I got out and he sat there for a couple seconds, backed up, did a donut, and went the opposite way," stated Cassel. "[He took off] pretty quick. He was sitting at a stop so I thought he was going to come forward, but he didn’t. He just tires squealed, and he took off."
Donie says she saw smoke on the road from how quickly Cassel sped off.
Thankfully, Donie, her mom, and the baby are okay; they are just a little sore and not sure what’s next for the expectant mother.
"Like literally, right before Christmas, I have to find a new car, like c'mon, and how am I going to get around. What if I go into labor, then what?!” exclaimed Donie.
The family is in the process of setting up a GoFundMe to help buy presents and help with costs associated to the vehicle's damage.
They say an anonymous tipster helped identify Cassel, and for that, they say they are very thankful.
According to court documents FOX43 found online, Cassel has a history of DUIs and other traffic violations.
