UPDATE: Hit and run driver IDed

Update: Tuesday, July 11, 2:47 p.m. Huron police Chief Terry Graham said the truck and involved driver have been identified. The driver's name was not released pending the completion of the investigation. Original post: Monday, July 10, 4 p.m. HURON — A Milan Township family wants an alleged hit-skip driver to come forward. Just after 3:15 p.m. on July 1, 12-year-old twins Aryah and Aspynn Wicker had just left a convenience store on Huron's east end. They needed to cross Berlin Road to go back to the house where their father, Nate, was helping a friend put a deck on the home. A northbound car on Berlin Road stopped at the intersection of Cleveland Road East (U.S. 6). Both northbound and southbound lanes of Berlin Road have stop signs at Cleveland Road. The driver waved at the girls, letting them know they could cross. Aryah was the first into the crosswalk. She had nearly made it across when a pickup truck turned off of Cleveland Road and struck her and the e-bike she was riding. The now smashed-up bike and Aryah were underneath the truck. "After he hit her, he backed up a little bit," Aspynn said. The driver stopped, and Aryah was able to pull herself out from under the truck. "He asked me if I was OK," Aryah said. The man then reportedly hauled the pieces of broken bicycle out from under the truck and placed them off the road. According to the siblings, he was not intent on waiting around for police to arrive. "He said he had places to be," Aryah said. The man then got back in the truck and drove away southeast bound on Berlin Road. Both girls were in shock: Aryah from being mowed down and Aspynn from watching her sister disappear under the truck. In a daze, the girls scooped up the pieces of the broken bicycle and walked to where their dad was helping his friend. "I was angry at first," Nate said. He thought they wrecked the $1,200 e-bike. The girls stood there unable to speak. "I asked her if she wrecked (the) bike," Nate said. Aryah was then able to tell her father that she had been hit by a truck. Police involvement Nate then called Huron police to report the hit-skip. Then he called the girls' mother. All three Wickers walked back down to the intersection. Police arrived and called first responders to treat Aryah. Her knees and elbows were scraped up and bloody. She had a cut on her hand and her wrist and thumb hurt. Nate turned down an offer for Aryah to be transported to the hospital for further testing. "I was most worried about head trauma," said Nate, adding that she appeared to be unaffected by that type of injury. Nate's mom has medical experience, so she also checked Aryah. The scrapes and scratches are healing, but Aryah is still wearing an Ace bandage on her injured wrist. Now, more than a week later, she is still experiencing numbness in her fingertips. While the family spoke to officers, a witness approached and said they had seen the car on Berlin Road stop and the driver waved at the girls to cross. Nate wants the man to turn himself in or a person who knows the driver to step forward to lead police to the man. "I want justice," Nate said. "Even if you ask if she's okay, you can't just hit a kid and then drive away." Huron police attempted to pull security footage from three nearby businesses, according to Nate. Two of the establishments' cameras did not point toward the intersection, and the third's were too low quality to capture anything useful. "Officers have been checking the area for any vehicles that match the description which has been unsuccessful," Huron police Chief Terry Graham said. "We are hoping the driver will contact our agency to assist in the traffic accident investigation." Graham urged all drivers to be mindful their surroundings when on the road. "With the summer season upon us, drivers should be reminded to pay special attention (to) pedestrians, bicyclists, golf carts, and motorized bicycles on our city streets," he said. Dad on a mission After a few days of what seemed like zero progress, Nate took to social media. He posted a message in a Huron-based Facebook page. "This is the father of the girl that was hit by a truck on the corner of Berlin and Cleveland (roads) " he wrote. "The driver of the truck hit her (then) dug her and the bike out (from) under the truck and then just left her on the side of the road. I am asking for anybody's help to find out who this man is." The post garnered dozens of responses. "These are my girls," the father of five said. "They are my two youngest." Nate has remained active in trying to identify the man. "I believe Huron police are doing the best they can," he said. "I thought the case was stalled, but then an officer called and updated me on what they were doing to try to resolve the situation." He said that phone call reassured him that he wasn't alone in trying to find the man. On Thursday, Nate drove to a shopping plaza near where the incident took place. Nate said he sat in the parking lot for several hours hoping the truck would drive by. It never did. He next tried approaching other businesses in the area to see if their cameras pointed toward Cleveland Road. He was hopeful that one of them captured footage of the truck and possibly a license plate. The managers of all three — a bank, a restaurant and a gym — showed him angles their cameras had of Cleveland Road. When he told Huron police about these places, the officer told him they were attempting to get video from a nearby drive-in eatery. Distracted driving Nate placed the blame for the crash solely on the truck's driver. "They're smart girls. They know to be aware of traffic," he said. The family lives on a section of River Road with a 50 mph speed limit. Nate said his daughters frequently travel between the home and the family's camper at Huron River Valley Campground. With cars traveling through that area much more rapidly than in the city, over hills and around curves, the twins have developed a keen awareness of what drivers are doing. Nate noted driving requires responsibility. "Drivers need to be aware of what is going on around them, especially in the city," he said. One question bothers Nate: Why was the stop light at the intersection removed? He believes the intersection is much more dangerous in its current setup than when it was controlled by a stop light. A 2012 transportation analysis report recommended removing the light and replacing it with either stop signs on Berlin Road or a roundabout. "The existing traffic signal does not meet traffic signal warranting criteria," the report states. Aryah and Aspynn continue to enjoy summer vacation. Aspynn is happy her sister was not seriously injured. Aryah feels lucky that the result of the crash wasn't worse. "I hope someone knows something and comes forward," Nate said. Do you know something? Here are the details of the event: Time/date: Approximately 3 p.m. Saturday, July 1 Location: The intersection of Berlin Road and Cleveland Road East (U.S. 6) Suspect's vehicle: A red Dodge truck in good condition. It was pulling a trailer at the time of the collision. Driver: A heavy-set, white male with beard, mustache and dark-colored hair. Anyone with information on the crash can call Huron police at 419-433-4114.