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Emilio still critical, slowly regaining consciousness

07:20 PM CDT on Friday, March 28, 2008

By Adrienne M. Cody and Rosa Flores / 11 News

Rosa Flores: Details on the police report | His brother on his condition | Emilio's doctor | Fans hold vigil in Dallas

HOUSTON -- Emilio Navaria opened his eyes and moved his arms and legs Wednesday night, but the Tejano singer remains in critical condition, according to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

The hospital said Thursday he is slowly regaining consciousness.

Doctors said the injuries he suffered in his Sunday tour bus crash are in the area of the brain that controls speech. Until the singer comes out of the coma, they will not know how much damage may have been done.

Doctors can't tell how aware the singer is of those around him. The Grammy award winner is still using a breathing tube and can't speak.

The 45-year-old was behind the wheel of his tour bus early Sunday morning when it slammed into a collection of freeway barrels that mark the interchange of Interstate 610 and U.S.  Highway 59 in Bellaire, a southwest Houston enclave.

He was thrown through the windshield and suffered severe injuries. Doctors have performed two brain surgeries on Navaira this week.

On Sunday, doctors removed a blood clot that was putting pressure on his brain.

But doctors on Tuesday took him to surgery a second time after medication wasn’t lowering pressure that began to build in his brain around a bruise where the blood clot had been removed.

Dr. Alex Valadka, who operated on Navaira, has said Navaira’s recovery could take months.

Emilio’s doctors have put his survival chances at 30 percent to 35 percent. They say it’s possible he could remain in a coma, be paralyzed or have memory loss.

As he slowly regains consciousness, his family and fans cling to the hope that he will recover and someday return to the stage.

On Thursday, the newly released accident report didn't shed much new light on the accident. It confirmed that Emilio was in the driver's seat, but it is still not known how fast the singer was driving when he crashed the bus.

Investigators are waiting for blood test results to determine if alcohol was a factor. Police say it's also possible Navaira fell asleep.

Navaira was not licensed to drive the 26,000-pound tour bus.

Raul Navaira, who was also on the bus, said his brother was accustomed to the long drives each weekend.

Several members of Emilio Navaira’s band, including his brother, came away with less serious injuries. Raul had a black eye when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday, saying he had scrapes and bruises and a sprained ankle but was otherwise well.

His brother and their group have released more than a dozen albums, including “Acuerdate,” which won the Grammy for best Tejano album in 2003.

 

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