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Austin Hatch remains in a medically induced coma as a result of brain bruising and swelling he sustained in Friday evening's crash, but the Associated Press reported Sunday night that doctors are optimistic he may be able to come off those drugs as soon as Monday. The swelling in Hatch's brain was going down and he was moving all four limbs when doctors reduced the coma-inducing drugs.
"He has bruising to the brain, but there's no structural damage as far as they can tell right now," Dr. G. David Bojrab told the Associated Press. "They're hoping that that's a good sign and he'll have a better recovery or a full recovery."
Assuming Hatch recovers from the brain injuries and the punctured lung and fractured ribs and collarbone he also sustained, it will be the second deadly plane crash he will have survived. In 2003, Hatch's father piloted a plane from Michigan to Indiana that clipped a power pole and went down, killing Hatch's biological mother, Julie, and his 11-year-old sister and five-year-old brother as well.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the latest crash occurred when the Hatch family was flying between their home in Indiana and their summer house near Charlevoix, Mich. Details of what caused the crash have yet to emerge, but the small, single-engine plane plummeted nose-first into a garage along a residential street north of Charlevoix Municipal Airport.
The timing of the plane crash is especially tragic since the Hatch family was less than two weeks removed from celebrating one of the happiest days of Austin's life. Michigan coach John Beilein called to offer Austin a scholarship and the 6-foot-6 Class of 2013 shooting guard accepted on the spot, meaning he would have the chance to follow in the footsteps of his father, a Michigan alum.
"They expressed the most interest in me," Austin said in this Wane.com interview the day he committed. "Notre Dame and Virginia were both pretty interested and came to watch me play some, but I think Michigan saw four or five of my games this year and I visited campus half a dozen times. They showed a lot of interest in me and liked what I had to offer."
Family and friends have not abandoned hope that Austin will one day be knocking down jump shots in Beilein's 3-point happy offense, but for right now there's more important matters to worry about than basketball.
Said Beilein in a statement released by Michigan on Saturday: "Austin needs as much support right now as possible, and I know he will be in the thoughts and prayers of the Michigan family during this difficult time."