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AUSTIN, Texas – A Austin The man faces a felony charge after police say he crashed into a taco truck and fled the scene. An employee working inside was injured in the accident.

Patrick Whitney, 58, was charged with third-degree hit-and-run involving serious bodily injury, according to court records.

Court documents say Austin police officers responded to an “urgent accident call” just before 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 25 at the Taco Express food truck. The text of the call reported that a vehicle had gone into the side of the trailer and that they were injured.

When they arrived, officers noticed new damage to the right rear side of the trailer, crumpled metal panels and broken headlight covers. Inside the trailer, kitchen appliances had been pushed forward and utensils and napkins were strewn about.

Officers spoke to an employee who had a bleeding nose and a wound to the bridge. He told officers he was stocking up on water bottles when he felt the impact of the crash. He was hit in the nose by the metal bracket that held the water cans and then a microwave fell off the fridge and hit him in the head.

The employee told officers that the driver who hit the trailer was a regular customer named Patrick.

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Another employee working the cash register told officers he saw a gray four-door Volkswagen crash into the side of the trailer. He said he couldn’t get out the front door because of the accident, so he jumped out the cashier’s window.

The employee then confronted the driver, who said “I’m not staying here for this” and began to drive away. The employee described the driver as a middle-aged white man, bald and thin, and provided officers with a photo of the driver’s license plate and a video of the immediate aftermath of the crash.

That video showed the driver outside his vehicle, watching the damage to both his car and the trailer. After speaking with the employee, he got back into his car and drove off. The employee said he ran after the driver, yelling at him to stop, but the driver did not.

Court documents say a records search for the license plate led investigators to Whitney. Officers went to his home and spoke with Whitney, who admitted to hitting the side of the grocery trailer. When asked why he didn’t stay and provide his insurance and contact information, Whitney said “they all spoke Mexican and they all came outside and surrounded my car, so I freaked out and left.”

Whitney’s vehicle also had new damage to the front right side, including a broken headlight.

The owner of the trailer also provided security footage from a nearby food trailer that showed the gray Volkswagen hitting the right rear of the trailer and the employee confronting the driver.

A third-degree felony in Texas carries a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Whitney is scheduled for his first court appearance on Nov. 15.