Elderly man found on road comes out of coma

Ron and Joyce Fey were apparently hit by a truck on this Cambridge corner yesterday. Photo / Christine Cornege.

An elderly man thought to have been hit by a truck when he and his wife were crossing a Waikato road has come out of a coma.

Ron Fey, 70, described by police as a "pretty strong sort of rooster", and his 67-year-old wife Joyce were found lying injured on a busy road in Cambridge yesterday.

Police are unsure how the retired Cambridge couple were injured but believed it was possible they stepped into the side of a passing truck.

The truck driver stopped and raced to help when he saw the couple in his rear vision mirror, lying on the road.

An elderly woman taking a young tourist to Rotorua also stopped but could not get out of her car as other traffic was speeding past, ignoring the injured couple.

The driver and her friend called for help and helped look after the couple until paramedics arrived.

Mr Fey emerged from his coma in Waikato Hospital today and was now on a long road to recovery, Mr Grantham said.

"He's no longer classified critical but he still has numerous injuries and will take a long time to heal."

Mrs Fey was in a stable condition.

No witnesses have come forward, but police hoped the injured woman would be able to tell them today or tomorrow what happened.

In a statement released through Waikato Hospital, the Fey family have thanked "everyone who stopped to offer assistance, the emergency services and staff of Waikato Hospital".

- NZPA