Update on Whittier hit-and-run victim

     Arianna Varela, the 15-year-old La Serna High School student who was injured by a hit-and-run driver, is now awake and talking, according to her family.

     Her aunt, Catherine Del Ferraro, said Varela was awakened from her induced coma on Oct. 17 but  was nonresponsive. Her ventilator was removed last week. She started talking this Monday, Del Ferraro said.

     "She remembers everything but what happened to her," Del Ferraro said.

     The Whittier teen was crossing the street Oct. 3 to attend a football game at Cal High when she was struck by  a sedan. The car didn't stop. The driver hasn't been found yet.

     Varela sustained head injuries and was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center. She's been transferred to the pediatric ward and her condition is stable, Del Ferraro said.