LEXINGTON, Ky.-
Doctors on Monday upgraded the condition of the co-pilot who survived the crash of Comair Flight 5191, and a hospital spokeswoman said he may be able to begin rehabilitation soon.
James Polehinke, who was the lone survivor of the Aug. 27 crash, was upgraded to fair condition from serious condition, said University of Kentucky spokeswoman Kelley Bozeman. He could leave the university’s hospital as early as this week to begin rehabilitating at another medical facility, Bozeman said.
Polehinke was pulled from the cockpit’s charred wreckage. All 49 others aboard the flight died. He has undergone several surgeries since the crash, including the amputation of his left leg and a procedure on his spine. Family members say he doesn’t remember the crash.
According to federal investigators, the flight’s captain, Jeffrey Clay, taxied Comair Flight 5191 onto a runway that was too short before Polehinke took over the jet and attempted to get it airborne.
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