Emerson Harry’s mom shows little compassion when she talks about the coward who ran into her son with a car then fled without even checking to see if her boy was OK.

“I hope the police get that person and they go to jail,” said Melissa Harry, referring to the hit-and-run driver who left her son broken and facing permanent brain injury.

Emerson, 13, had been with his family at the Duncan Superstore Friday when he left the group to run a personal errand.

His mom said she became worried when he didn’t return by the time the family was done shopping.

She and members of her family conducted a search, including several areas Emerson was known to frequent while in town, but couldn’t find him.

She returned to her Mill Bay home and, when her son failed to return the next day, she began calling around.

“The police couldn’t help me and I called the Cowichan District Hospital and they said they weren’t allowed to tell me anything,” she said from her home Monday.

What she couldn’t have known at that time was her son was crossing Trans-Canada Highway at Trunk Road about 10:30 p.m. Friday when he was struck by station wagon.

Emerson was tossed through the air —“about 50-feet,” said his mom — flipped a few times in the air and landed on pavement.

The Grade 8 George Bonner middle school student was left unconscious, but suffered a broken right leg, broken collar bone, broken neck and other injuries, said his mom.

Emerson was taken in life-threatening condition to Victoria’s General Hospital where, Monday, he turned a corner.

“They took his tubes out and he is able to breathe on his own,” said his mom.

Emerson has not regained consciousness since the crash, and his mother said she fears what might happen when he comes to.

“The doctors said he might not recognize us,” Melissa said.

Doctors told the worried mom they’ll know more about possible brain injuries once the boy comes to.

The crash comes at a time when Emerson was “doing really good in school,” said Melissa.

“I met with his teachers and they all said he was getting good grades,” she said.

George Bonner principal, Herb Jawanda, made a P.A. announcement Monday and urged any of his students who may have seen the incident to call police.

Meanwhile, police are on the hunt for the driver of the vehicle.

Witnesses told cops they believe the wanted vehicle is an older-model light-blue or beige Volvo station wagon.

Witnesses said the northbound vehicle continued down the highway without slowing until it made a left turn at Coronation Avenue.

Police are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.