RCMP in Edmonton are on the hunt for a man who allegedly ran over a gas station employee during a gas and dash Saturday afternoon.

Chu Thai, the manager of the Superstore Gas Bar where the incident took place, told CTV Edmonton his employee Shawn Yantha attempted to stop a man from leaving the gas station without paying, when the suspect took off.

"He thought that the guy forgot to pay, so he went out there and reached over to tell the guy, ‘You have not paid yet,’ and the guy sped off and dragged him for about three metres," Thai said.

The employee suffered several broken bones but was able to crawl away. He was later transported to hospital with serious injuries. CTV Edmonton has learned he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition. He is said to be bedridden, and will likely require the use of a wheelchair for at least a few months.

“He tried to get up and he dropped twice. My wife cried looking at that video. I couldn’t sleep last night,” said Thai. He says gas-and-dash incidents are not uncommon, but this is the first time he has seen one turn violent.

RCMP told CTV Calgary on Monday, that they found the truck that struck Yantha, but were continuing their search for the driver.

Meanwhile, Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said he is increasingly frustrated that the province hasn’t followed British Columbia’s lead in requiring customers to pay before they pump.

B.C. has also brought in additional worker protection policies, such as requiring a minimum of two employees to be working at all times or using barriers to protect staff, and not holding staff financially responsible for stolen gas.

A separate case of a woman killed at a Calgary gas station is set to go before an Alberta court this week. Further evidence, says McGowan, that more needs to be done to keep service station attendants safe.

“She got in front of a truck that had stolen gas, thinking that it was going to be deducted from her paycheque, and she was run over and killed,” he said.

Thai said he was able to speak to Yantha. He said he looks forward to the employee’s recovery and will gladly welcome him back to work.

Some of Yantha’s customers at the Superstore Gas Bar say they are eager to see charges in the incident.

“I’d like to see that person caught, obviously,” customer Ryan Lloyd said. “Myself and my company, we are going to be putting a portion of our earning towards him.”

Anyone with information about the alleged gas and dash is asked to contact Strathcona County RCMP or contact Crime Stoppers.

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Angela Jung and Shanelle Kaul