A Bridgeport family asking for the public's help getting justice for their loved one after a hit-and-run crash on the Merritt Parkway.

The family of 28-year-old Ronal Perez, the owner of a Bridgeport barber shop, was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his motorcycle around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 11, according to state police.

Witnesses say a 1990s gray Honda Civic cut Perez off, causing him to crash.

He lost his left leg as a result of the accident and has suffered total paralysis in his left arm.

"This is not only a physical like trauma to him, this is mental. He feels like he lost his life," says Perez's longtime girlfriend and mother of his three children, Camilia Seda.

Seda met with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Joe Ganim and state police Sunday asking for the public's help finding the driver.

"Whoever caused this hit-and-run deserves a special place in hell, but in the meantime here on earth, we ought to have the full weight of the law come down on him," Blumenthal says.

Seda says even though Perez is lucky to be alive, Perez is still heartbroken.

"You got a second chance, you lost a leg but you didn't lose your life. But it's easier said than done. He's just down, he's distraught. He's just devastated. He's like, 'how am I supposed to start my life now? What am I supposed to do now?'" Seda says.

The family says Perez will soon be transferred to Gaylord Rehab Hospital in Wallingford where he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.