Correa out of induced coma, family states

The family of Juan Manuel Correa has stated that the Ecuadorian born racer is out of his induced coma and has been placed off the ECMO machine.

Correa was involved in a major collision at the Feature Race in Belgium, which took the life of Anthoine Hubert.

He was placed into an induced coma after he was transported to the United Kingdom from Belgium and diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

On Friday, Correa's family released a statement with an update on his condition.

The statement 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 due to being in induced coma for more than two weeks. 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."

Correa also sustained leg injuries in the crash, with priority now being switched from hhis lungs to his legs. 

"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 minimize risk of irreversible injuries to his right lower extremity but can’t proceed until lungs are ready to withstand a lengthy operation.

"Additional details will be provided on Juan Manuel’s condition when available."