Good Sunday morning to you. Breakfast at The Mill will be fine this morning.

Not a month goes by that someone doesn't ask me about "that guy."

"You know, that guy on the bike in Murrieta," they usually say. "That guy that got hit."

Often it's people who never met Gerry Marinucci, but were on California Oaks Road in Murrieta that day in March 2004 when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Other times it's just regular folks who included the father of three in their prayers in the weeks following the accident when the Gerry walked the thin line between living and dying.

Gerry was struck from behind about 5:45 a.m. March 17 as he rode his bike near Lincoln Avenue.

The driver fled, dragging the bike under his car for more than a mile. The 27-year-old Apple Valley man was found several days later, arrested and pleaded guilty to one count of hit-and-run causing great bodily harm.

In May 2004, he was sentenced to three years in state prison. The driver is likely out by now, but the Marinucci family still lives with what happened that day.

Laura Marinucci calls them little steps and hopes they're leading in the right direction.

"It hasn't been easy," Laura told me Friday. "But he's doing good. We're kind of at a crossroads now. We're wondering what the next step will be."

Mostly recovered from his physical injuries, Gerry still suffers from the severe brain trauma caused when he was hit, an injury that likely would have been fatal if Gerry had not been wearing a helmet.

Several years ago, the family left Murrieta for the rural life of Aguanga.

"Gerry had jobs where he worked a swing shift so he was used to being up at night," Laura said. "After the accident, he'd get up in the middle of the night and wander. A couple of times police found him walking in the middle of Murrieta Hot Springs Road at 2 a.m."

Laura said Gerry often falls between he cracks when it comes to treatment. If he were a child or a senior citizen with such injuries, there would be many more programs and services available to him.

That frustration is compounded by the lack of quality brain injury therapy available locally. Riverside County really doesn't have the kind of service he needs, she said.

In an effort to find more mainstream activities, Gerry is going back to school. Last week, he enrolled in two classes, basic guitar and guidance, at Mt. San Jacinto College.

"It's mostly for socialization," Laura said. "We're trying to put him in an environment where he can succeed. We'll try this and if it doesn't work, we'll go a different direction."

More little steps, she said.

Laura was pleased to learn her husband hadn't been forgotten.

"That makes me feel good," she said. "It's nice to know people remember. It's nice to know people still care."

Contact columnist John Hunneman at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2603, or hunneman@californian.com.