Friends are reportedly hoping a drug-induced coma and the strong, athletic body of a University of Michigan men's basketball recruit will save his life after a plane crash that killed his father and stepmother.
Austin Hatch, 16, was in critical condition after the crash and is now in a medically induced coma, his high school coach, Dan Kline, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Hatch, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior at the Canterbury School in Indiana, was the only member of his family to survive after a plane piloted by his father, Stephen Hatch, crashed Friday.
Doctors say the first 24 to 48 hours are critical, Kline told The AP.
"We're getting to that point right now, so we're hoping and praying for the best," Kline said. "But he's just a strong guy, a strong kid. That's what's saving him right now."
Hatch's stepmother, Kim, also died in the crash Friday, The AP reports. In 2003, a plane piloted by Hatch's father crashed and killed Hatch's mother and two siblings.
