Does he hit you regularly or just that one time?
If it's in his personality to be violent with you, chances are that's a bad situation for you to be in. Adults in a relationship should respect and take care of one another. Inflicting pain to gain power is not loving behavior.
That being said, I do believe it's possible for someone to act out of character and then be forgiven--the same way I believe it's possible for someone to cheat on their partner and apologize and have the relationship restored. I believe it is rare, but possible.
So it's obviously your call if the relationship is right for you to be in. My advice to fix the problem would be normal ways of settling a conflict...talk about it with him, explain to him your concerns and your apologies and what bothers you, and encourage him to talk about himself too, and perhaps you can come to some sort of conclusion and resolve your issue. I wish I could give you more advice about this. I know the communicating thing doesn't work as well for everyone, but that's what works for me and my boyfriend so it's my suggestion to you.
Good luck! Take care of yourself,
SamIAm