MURRIETA -- Gerry Marinucci laughs at silly jokes. It's been about two weeks since he woke from a coma he'd been in since March, when he was run down by a motorist while riding his bicycle in Murrieta. Marinucci now is able to talk -- a little; walk -- a little; and smile -- a lot; his wife, Laura, said Thursday.

"Things are looking up," she said. "Now he's able to get out of bed and walk about 100 feet. It's not pretty when he does that, but we'll work on form later on. At least now he's up."

Gerry Marinucci, 47, was struck from behind about 5:45 a.m. on March 17 during his daily bike ride. When he was hit, he was riding in the bike lane on California Oaks Road near Lincoln Avenue.

As he lay bleeding in the roadway, the driver of the late 1980s gray BMW that hit him -- later identified as Federico Baltazar, 27, of Apple Valley -- fled. Marinucci's bicycle was dragged under the sedan for more than a mile.

Marinucci, who was wearing a helmet, suffered major head injuries. For days after the accident, it was not known if he would live.

Baltazar was arrested the day after the crash and pleaded guilty March 30 to one count of hit-and-run causing severe permanent bodily injury and one count of driving on a suspended license.

In May, after expressing his remorse to Marinucci's family in a Southwest Justice Center courtroom, Baltazar was sentenced to three years in prison.

Marinucci, who had been hospitalized at Riverside County Regional Medical Center, is currently at Kindred Hospital in Ontario.

When he first came out of the coma, Laura Marinucci said, doctors urged family members to take their time when speaking to her husband. That didn't last long.

"What they didn't understand is that this guy is Italian, he is used to people talking fast and using their hands," she said. "When the doctors saw how this was working, they told us to disregard what they'd said before."

His doctors are pleased with the progress, she said.

"He has his memory and he's able to answer simple questions," she said. "He seems to be aware of who everyone is, but he's not really good with names yet. He still has his great sense of humor. He laughs at all of our silly jokes."

A move is planned soon to a rehabilitation center, where the father of three will undergo more extensive treatment.

"That will happen when he's able to undergo rehab for about four or five hours each day," Laura Marinucci said. "Right now he's not quite up to that, but he should be soon."

Meanwhile, she said, friends, neighbors and members of their church continue to pitch in to help the family.

The Marinuccis have three daughters, ages 11, 10 and 7. Not long before the accident, the couple had returned from Russia, where they adopted the two younger girls.

"People have been amazing," Laura Marinucci said. "They still come by and mow my lawn, clean my house and bring us meals."

She also said members of the Murrieta police and fire departments have been checking in to see if they can help.

"That's been very nice," Laura Marinucci said, "especially since they have so many other things to do. I really want to thank everybody for all they've done."

Contact staff writer John Hunneman at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2603, or hunneman@californian.com.