Hit-and-run victim wakes from coma

A 70-year-old victim of a hit and run woke from a coma Sunday as police continued their citywide search for the luxury sports car that struck him, according to local media and local police.

A royal or violet blue Ferrari without license plates hit the man, surnamed Yu, around 4 am on September 15 as he walked across a crosswalk at the intersection of Xizang South and Jinling Middle roads in Huangpu district, according to the Yu's niece, who posted the incident on her microblog Saturday.

The force of the impact tossed the man 10 meters across the pavement and he landed on his head, according to the post. A taxi driver at the scene called police and an ambulance, which took the man to Shanghai No.9 People's Hospital.  

Although the Global Times could not reach the niece Sunday, Huangpu police confirmed many of the details of her story.

An initial investigation found that the perpetrating vehicle was a dark blue or purple Ferrari, said Cao Hua, a district police officer.

Sports cars have become infamous in recent years for driving off after hitting pedestrians. From May 2009 to May 2012, luxury sports cars were involved in nine fatal traffic accidents across China that left more than 10 people dead, according to the news magazine Caixin.

Traffic police have issued a citywide bulletin to find the car, said Zhu Liang, deputy director of the Huangpu District Public Security Bureau. They hope residents with information about the vehicle or the accident will come forward.

"It has been a difficult search for us because the car didn't have plates and there wasn't a surveillance camera overlooking that intersection," Zhu told the Global Times Sunday.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle in Shanghai without license plates. Owners of new vehicles that have not yet received their plates can apply for a temporary permit that is supposed to be displayed on the vehicle, according to China's Road Traffic Safety Law. Car owners can be fined or have their licenses revoked for driving a car without plates.

Yu's family has hung a banner near the intersection in hope that a witness will come forward with information about the Ferrari, according to a photo that the niece posted on her microblog.

According to another post, she was told by the Ferrari dealership in Shanghai that only one car in the color described by witnesses has been sold in the city.

"We are still investigating," Cao said. "We are concerned that the car may have been smuggled into the city, which will make it difficult to track down. If it is registered, we will find it sooner or later."