ROME - Italian former Formula One driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi's condition has improved significantly, the Milan hospital treating him said on Wednesday.
Zanardi, 53, has been battling for his life since June 19, when his handbike collided with a truck during a relay event in Tuscany.
"The patient has responded [to intensive care treatment] with significant clinical improvements," the San Raffaele hospital said in a statement.
As a result, Zanardi is no longer under intensive care and "is currently being looked after and treated" in a semi-intensive care department, the hospital added.
Zanardi, who sustained major brain and skull injuries, was initially hospitalised in Siena, where he was operated on three times and kept in an induced coma for weeks.
On July 21 he was moved to a rehabilitation clinic, but then his condition worsened again, prompting hospitalisation at the San Raffaele on July 24 and a fourth surgery the following day.
Zanardi is known for a never-give-up attitude. He has been disabled since 2001, when he lost both of his legs in a CART Championship crash at the German EuroSpeedway Lausitz race track.
After the near-fatal accident, he switched from car racing to paracycling, and won four gold and two silver medals at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.
Reuters