The world J’Ron Erby awoke to Tuesday was 18 days after the one he last saw. It is a world that raised more than $22,000 for him and his family while he was hospitalized.

It is a world that waited for Tuesday to come.

Erby, a Chargers public relations intern who was critically injured when struck Aug. 5 in a Pacific Beach hit-and-run, is now “awake and alert” from his coma, his sister Leana said in a text message. She added that he remains on pain medication while continuing to recover from his injuries in a San Diego hospital.

“He knows that he is in the hospital and that he sustained injuries,” she wrote. “He is able to follow commands with his arms and legs so far today.”


J’Ron’s GoFundMe page has raised $22,535 as of Tuesday afternoon. It includes a boost of nearly $5,500 on Aug. 13 when the Tennessee Titans led a fundraiser drive during their exhibition game against the Chargers.

“We are so very thankful and blessed by the support you have given him and our family,” Leana wrote Tuesday on the page. “Continue to keep him in your prayers as he continues to recover.”

J’Ron, 23, was among a group of pedestrians struck by the driver of a gray Hyundai Elantra.

That driver has yet to come forward.


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