By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai‘i football coach June Jones was upgraded to satisfactory condition today, although he remains in the Queen’s Medical Center’s critical-care unit.

“We’re very impressed with his remarkable recovery to this point,” said Dr. Neil Fergusson, the hospital’s trauma surgeon and the attending physician for Jones, who was injured in a single-car crash last week.

Dr. Gail Tominaga said Jones is able to sit up in a chair for “a few hours at a time,” drink juice and eat fruit. Jones also is able to walk unassisted from his bed to the chair. Tominaga said Jones watches television and is alert, once asking a nurse about the recent Seattle earthquake. He is working with a physical therapist.

Fergusson also said Jones is “healing well” from last week’s surgeries to repair injuries to his aorta and abdomen .

Tominaga said Jones still is hooked up to an intravenous line and has tubes in his stomach. X-rays yesterday showed a small fracture in Jones’ right elbow, but no damage to his neck and spine. Tominaga described the fracture as “a relatively minor injury” that will be addressed later.

Tominaga said it will be evaluated soon as to when Jones can be transferred to a private room. She said he will be hospitalized for “another few weeks.” Fergusson said he did not know when Jones will be able to return to work.

“He’s doing very well for his injuries,” Tominaga said. “His injury to his aorta was a major life-threatening injury, and so was the injury to his abdomen . He’s very lucky he didn’t have any major head injuries.”

Tominaga said Jones also is fortunate his internal bleeding was localized. “If it wasn’t, he would have bled to death before he got to the hospital,” Tominaga said.

Tominaga said Jones needs rest, and she requested that friends limit their visits.

Family spokesman Artie Wilson said Jones knows he has been in an accident, but he has not been asked about the details leading to the crash.

“It’s not something that is important to us right now,” Wilson said. “What’s most important is he rehabs and gets healthy and gets well and gets rest. Those are the most important things.”