Gary Shore, 20, crashed his Honda Civic near his home in Rotherham and a passing woman driver saw the overturned vehicle at the side of the road on Monday.

She drove on and reported what she had seen at Rotherham police station at 9.45am on Monday. A Police Community Support Officer was sent to investigate.

But yesterday South Yorkshire Police admitted the officer failed to find the wreckage, so that Mr Shore was left until a 999 call was received at about 3pm.

Yesterday, the plasterer was on a life support machine in Rotherham Hospital receiving treatment for his broken neck, head injuries, a broken pelvis, and internal injuries.

His father Paul Shore said he found it difficult to believe that the first officer on the scene was unable to find a damaged car, just a few feet from the road.

He said: "It's any parents' worst nightmare and is an absolute disgrace. We are just praying that our son lives. I can't believe what has happened.

"Gary is heavily sedated and in a coma and we have been warned that if he comes out of it he could have severe brain damage. We are hoping against hope that we can have our son back how he was.

"It was bad enough going to see our son in hospital in such a serious condition but it was even worse when the police told us about the delay.

"The doctors don't know if the time lapse would have improved Gary's chances but you would think the quicker he went to hospital the better the chance of him making a good recovery.

"Gary must have been there for more than six hours but to find out somebody had reported it and it wasn't followed up properly just made everything so much worse."

The injured man had been out with friends and his twin brother Glen on Sunday evening to a pub three miles away, but Glen had returned to the family home in Kimberworth Park on his own. It is not clear what happened in the hours leading up to the accident in nearby Upper Wortley Road.

South Yorkshire Police refused to comment on Mr Shore's case but a spokesman said the Independent Police Complaints Commission was investigating.

IPCC Commissioner for Yorkshire and the Humber Region, Nicholas Long said: "The investigation will focus on the way the initial report of an overturned car was handled and the length of time taken by police to find the vehicle.

"We will decide whether there are any misconduct issues or whether there is anything to learn from this incident, either for individuals or South Yorkshire Police as a whole. At this stage a man is seriously ill in hospital and my thoughts are with him and his family.

"It is essential that we speak to the woman who made the initial report of the overturned car to a police officer who was on patrol in Rotherham town centre at about 9.45am on Monday morning, and I urge her to get in touch with us."

Anyone with information should call the IPCC on 0800 096 9078 or email rotherham @ipcc.gov.uk.