MINNEAPOLIS -- A driver accused of severely injuring a woman in a hit-and-run in Minneapolis on New Year's Day confessed to the crime before turning himself into police, charges state.

The 26-year-old St. Paul man is charged with criminal vehicular operation, documents filed in Hennepin County court on Friday show.

Police responded to a hit-and-run near Fourth and University avenues in northeast Minneapolis around 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, according to a criminal complaint. They found an unconscious woman with life-threatening injuries and she was taken to Hennepin Healthcare.

At the hospital, they determined she suffered multiple fractures, including her pelvis, lower spine, left tibia and fibula and part of her skull. She also had a traumatic brain injury and bleeding near the brain.

Surveillance cameras captured the vehicle responsible, a black Dodge Avenger. It was later found with a severely damaged front windshield.

A man called police the day after the crash and said he was riding in the Avenger when it happened. He identified the 26-year-old as the driver. Using information from the passenger, police found footage from nearby cameras showing the 26-year-old and passenger getting into the Avenger about 10 minutes before the crash.

On Tuesday, the 26-year-old called police and admitted to the hit-and-run, the complaint states. A day later, he turned himself in. He remains in custody.

The woman hit is 26-year-old Michaela Howk, who was walking home when the crash occurred.

"I know accidents can happen, but you can't just leave somebody when they're not able to fend for themselves," Howk told WCCO. "Just knowing that somebody could do that and leave is heartbreaking."

Howk was set to start a new job in the emergency room of Children's Hospital the week after the crash, but is instead rehabbing at home.