A HIT and run victim who nearly lost a leg when a luxury sports car smashed into him has urged Bolton's Asian community to help police catch the "coward" driver who fled the scene.

Roy Fraser, aged 33, still receives counselling for post-traumatic stress with his family after they witnessed the horror crash outside the IGW car showroom in Kay Street, Bolton, 18 months ago.

But detectives have still not caught the young Asian driver of the hired T-reg £95,000 Ferrari Spider super car who left Mr Fraser screaming in agony on the pavement as he made his escape.

Police believe the young Asian driver and his passenger had attended an Asian wedding before the crash in October 1999.

And Mr Fraser today said: "This accident has wrecked my career and had a significant effect on my family life.

"Someone in the Asian community must know who was driving that car, but think that because they haven't heard anything since the crash that it has all gone away.

"I'll never be able to walk properly again and play sport while the doctors have told me that my condition is likely to get worse."

He had mixed feelings towards the driver, saying: "The driver didn't mean to do it and I can understand somebody panicking in that situation. But I am very angry and cannot forget that he did run off.

"The police have been brilliant but are largely dependent on information from the Asian community to solve this. Somebody must know who was responsible for this."

Mr Fraser, who lives in Swinton, broke his left leg in three places, his right leg and suffered a severed artery and had five skin grafts after the Ferrari smashed into him.

He had been looking at cars on the showroom's forecourt when the driver lost control of his high-powered car on a bend and careered off the road.

It crashed through metal pedestrian railings and knocked into Mr Fraser -- narrowly missing his wife, Maxine, and teenage stepson, Richard.

Mr Fraser, who was a keen rugby and football player before the smash, described the impact as "like being rugby tackled by five people at once."

He said his leg would have been amputated were it not for the actions of Professor David Yates, an Accident and Emergency consultant at Hope Hospital, Salford, who was passing by and treated him at the scene.

Surgery

Following the accident Mr Fraser, who had just bought a new house, had to take five-and-a-half months off work and saw his newly set-up engineering business go bust.

He now only has 80pc use of his left leg, cannot play sport, and will undergo more surgery later this year to correct the position of his left foot.

He added: "When my business closed it left us in a financial hole and we are struggling to get ourselves back on our feet. We can't even afford a holiday and if anyone deserves a holiday it is my wife, Maxine, after looking after me for 18 months."

Sgt Ken Carter, of Bolton Traffic Police, admitted police had reached a dead end with the case. He said: "This was a very serious incident but we have been unable to trace the driver of the car. We would appeal for anyone with information to come forward."

Anyone with information should ring traffic police on 0161 856 5972.