AUSTIN (KXAN) — A family is heartbroken as they await answers after a 23-year-old was left critically injured in a suspected hit-and-run crash in south Austin.

Austin Police said Dominic Dubas was found around 10 p.m. Saturday near South Congress Avenue and Clearday Drive. He is suffering from severe and traumatic injuries.

Investigators say they believe Dubas had been walking when he was hit. The driver has not been found.

Now, Dubas’ loved ones are urging anyone with information to come forward.

“We don’t leave people laying on the side of the road where I come from,” said his grandfather, David Van Haaften.

‘Please call … this kid was serving his country’

Van Haaften described the family’s grief and frustration as they wait at Dubas’ bedside.

“For God’s sake, if anybody knows anything, please call your local police department,” he said. “This kid was a firefighter, a paramedic, serving his country.”

Dominic Dubas is from Omaha, Nebraska, but had been stationed in Alaska for the past four years. He’s a senior airman active duty U.S. Air Force E-4.

His mother told KXAN he was excited and preparing to move to Maryland for his new assignment in September.

Dubas and a friend, also stationed in Alaska with him, decided to visit Austin for vacation and a music festival.

Family feared the worst

Dubas’ mother, Melissa, rushed to Austin after getting the call.

“They prepared me for the worst [and] said he most likely wouldn’t make it by the time I got there,” she said.

Melissa said her only hope was to reach him before it was too late.

“I was just praying for him to hold on until I could get there. I didn’t want him to go by himself.”

Doctors performed emergency surgery, removing part of Dubas’ skull to relieve pressure on his brain. His family says he remains in critical condition, but they are holding on to hope.

‘Nobody stopped’

For his mother, one of the hardest parts to accept is how he was found.

“It’s heartbreaking to know he was laying there and nobody stopped,” she said. “We just can’t believe someone would leave him like that.”

According to police data from 2022, pedestrians account for42% of traffic-related deaths in the city.

Why hit-and-runs are hard to solve

KXAN spoke with the Austin Police Association about these kinds of cases, and learned they can be difficult to solve without strong evidence.

“We have to be able to put someone behind the wheel in order to make an arrest,” said Michael Bullock, president of the Austin Police Association.

Bullock said gathering accurate descriptions of the vehicle and the driver is critical.

He adds, these cases take an emotional toll on officers, too.

“We want to find the person responsible and give the family closure … but it’s tough,” he said.

Police say personal dash cameras and cell phone video can play a key role in solving hit-and-run cases.

“If you see something, pull out your phone and start recording,” Bullock said.

Reward offered as family begs for help

The Dubas family is now offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

The family is urging anyone who might have seen something, no matter how small, to come forward.

“What breaks my heart even more is that Dominic loved his family so much and he would love to have all of us together in the same city,” Melissa said. “For us to go home at night and be together knowing how much he would want to be there with us is just heartbreaking … we’re all together … but we’re missing him.”

The incident remains under investigation.