Correa out of induced coma, needs major leg surgery

LONDON: Formula Two driver Juan Manuel Correa is out of an induced coma but faces a “race against time” to undergo a major operation on his legs.

Correa, 20, broke both his legs and sustained spinal cord damage in a 160mph crash which killed Anthoine Hubert at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium last month.

A statement released by the American’s family read: “As of today, Juan Manuel Correa has been removed from the ECMO machine, life support and taken out of induced coma. While this is great news and a major step in the right direction, he is still in a race against time.

“Juan Manuel is conscious, but not fully yet awake. Doctors report that this will take a few days. They have also stated that Juan Manuel is fragile and still vulnerable medically speaking and that he remains in the Intensive Care Unit. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. The medical priority for Juan Manuel now shifts from the lungs to the leg injuries that were sustained more than two weeks ago and have not been addressed since the initial emergency intervention the day of the incident.

“Doctors are in a race against time to perform a pending major surgery in order to minimise risk of irreversible injuries to his right lower extremity but can’t proceed until lungs are ready to withstand a lengthy operation.” Correa underwent a four-hour emergency operation in Liege before he was transferred to a London hospital where he was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome. He was placed in an induced coma a fortnight ago.

Hubert, 22, was killed when he hit the barriers at Eau Rouge and rebounded back on to the circuit before Correa collided with his car at high speed.