Future MBB player hospitalized by plane crash - Updated

That's terrible news.  I'll be praying for Austin and his family.

This is horrible. My thoughts are with Austin and his family. 

holy shit, what a tragedy. especially after reading the tweet about his mom and two siblings. prayers to him for sure, damn that sucks

holy shit, what a tragedy. especially after reading the tweet about his mom and two siblings. prayers to him for sure, damn that sucks

My prayers go out to Austin and the Hatch family.

Austin was involved in another plane crash eight years ago in which his mom and two sisters died.  Got a text from our pastor this morning who knows them well that this had happened yesterday.  Words fail.  Austin is doing better, but is severly injured.  His dad and step-mom were incredible people, and will be terribly missed.  Please pray for Austin's sisters and brother moving forward, and obviously for Austin's recovery. 

what a tragedy, he'll be in our prayers

Horrible news...thoughts and prayers his way. No one deserves to lose family like that once, let alone twice

Please continue the positive support for the young man and his family. 

My prayers go out to the Hatch family and for a speedy recovery for Austin..

Just a horrible tragedy.  Austin, you are in all of our thoughts and prayers.

http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Plane-Crashe-Kills-Two-Fort...

So tragic.

Wow.  That's horrible.  Regardless of basketball, I hope he recovers quickly.  My thoughts are with him.

I pray he gets through this, and that his remaining family and friends are there for him as he will need them more than ever. This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. Makes you appreciate what small time on earth we all have.

Ugh.  Jeez.  That's the worst thing I've read in I don't know how long.  Best wishes and prayers to the guy.

I don't pray much but am right now for this kid. Unimaginable tragedy within the Michigan family.

Absolutely awful.. Wow. There are really no words to express how bad that is, and basketball is truly very unimportant right now. We just have to pray for Austin's physical and emotional recovery. 

Stay strong, Austin, you're in all of our thoughts and prayers.

Good God! That's some sad news to hear while being so jacked up for recruiting updates. Thoughts and prayers to the Hatch family.

Needs our prayers.

the Michigan family is praying for you and your family. Godspeed!

mentions the other plane crash Austin was in, which killed his mom, sister and brother.

http://www.news-banner.com/index/news-app/story.1936

Lord of Mercy and Hope,

Please show mercy on this poor child.  Wrap you arms around him and protect him from pain, both physical and emotional.  Give those working with him the wisdom and skill to do everything they can for him.  Bless those around him with loving hearts and open arms, that they might be able to give him that which his family no longer can.  Watch over him and comfort him.  Lead him with purpose through this incomprehensible path laid out before him.  Thy will be done.

Amen.

Awful, awful story. Does anyone know if there's something we can do (e.g., donations)?

I'm at a loss for words. Just know you have an entire Michigan family here for you. No kid should go through this. You will be in my prayers.

Devastating.  It hurts even to say our thoughts are with his family when he's lost so much of it.  All the best for his recovery, physical and emotional. 

I just can't believe this.  In his post-commit interviews I was so impressed by Austin, what sort of world has him face to face with tragedy again.  He's in my prayers.

No words can explain the depth of pain he will endure. I know the "Big Guy" has a bunch of requests lately. he has room for many more. Thought and prayers to everyone associated with this family.

I just don't have the words. My prayers are with.

a ton of his family dead, so sad ... sometimetimes this world just is not fair

my prayers go out to him and his community

My prayers are with Austin and his family. Such horrible news.

My buddy is the reporter who is doing the story for this on indianasnewscenter.com.  I'll pass on what he tells me.

I almost couldn't believe the story when I read it -- this poor kid has endured (and survived) two plane crashes -- and lost just about every single member of his family throughout the course of both. The word "tragedy" doesn't even begin to describe that. My prayers go out to the extended family, and to Austin, who I am praying for to make a complete recovery and somehow be able to piece his life together again.

Wolverine Nation is with you, Austin.

this is one of the saddest things I've ever seen

I can't think to say anything other than our thoughts and prayers will be with you and I am terribly sorry for your loss. Get better Austin!

This is shocking news. My thoughts are with Austin at this time.

Petoskeynews.com item on the crash can be found here.

our thoughts and prayers are with you Austin, the entire University of Michigan community will be praying for you and your family.  

Almost brought me to tears. I'll be praying for him. Fight hard in the hospital Austin.

Dear Austin,

Fight hard, you've got the entire university behind you.

Truly one of the most awful things imaginable. It's almost indescribable. My thoughts are with him. 

At times like this words fail.  My heart goes out to the kid and I hope he recovers swiftly.

omg I can't imagine.

I'm more concerned about his mental state than physical tbh.  Try to stay strong, Austin.

Poor kid.  Tragic news.  I hope everything works out for him. 

Very, very  tragic news.  Losing one or both parents is horrible.  Sorry to hear about his losses, and hopefully he can make a full recovery physically and emotionally.

A tragedy beyond words.  I trust the entire University of Michigan family will be there to support him through this difficult time.  My thoughts and prayers are with you Austin.

Terrible news.  Him and his family are in my prayers.

for the time being. Only the best thoughts and prayers go out to Austin and his family.

Get in a plane again after the first accident and losing your family members. To have it happen again is like having lightning hit you twice. Horrible. Wishes that he gets through this physically, and then manages to find a way to deal with this emotionally. It's an unimaginable road. Forget basketball...life is what matters.

The_MDA Mr. Anderson Update on Austin Hatch: 2 punctured lungs, fractured skull but no brain bleeding, is in an induced coma.

big Blue Family now more tnam evEr.

If anyone finds out where we can send donations, cards, etc. to so that he knows how many people he has behind him, please post. Thanks.

The entire Wolverine community feels for Austin and his family.  This is horrible news.

I cannot believe he has had two plane crashes where family members were killed in his short life. The odds of this happening have to be a billion to one. Poor kid. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Unbelievable tragedy.  Stay strong young man. 

As so many have already said, there are no words that can describe the pain I feel for Austin and his whole family right now. When I heard about the first plane crash a couple of weeks ago, it was one of the hardest stories to ever read. Now when I hear this there is nothing that even comes close to the magnitude of the tragedy. All my thoughts and prayers are with Austin and his family. And hopefully not only Michigan fans are praying for him right now, it truly does not matter what school he goes to or what school he is committed to.

Horrible, just too tragic to imagine what that poor kid had to endure, twice.

More important than his physical recovery I hope he can mentally and emotionally get over this. I'm sure this kid loves the game and would do anything to play again, but first I just hope he can find some stability after losing so many people close to him.

this is awful news. Reminds me of the night the Mealers had their tragedy. We'll be pulling for you young man.

Probably the worst thing that could ever happen to a kid, is lose all direct family. I hope he gets through this emotional and physical pain. Forget about b-ball, doesn't matter right now...

That's just a terrible tradegy.  I hope he recovers.  Best of luck to him.

I pray that he makes a full and speedy recovery.  Does anyone know the extent of his wounds?   I can only imagine if he does recover and is able to take the court one day to play for Michigan.  That is one game I would not want to miss, his first time in front of the Crisler fans.  What a moment for him it would be, all the best to this young Michigan Man. !!  God Speed !

Austin, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers, as well as those of so many of us in your new extended family. We are all with you, and one day you will follow in your father's footsteps in medical school. Hang in there in these darkest of times.

Numb.

Austin, The entire Michigan family is with you.  You will not have to go through this alone.

That is awful news. Prayers go to him and his family!

Wow. Horrible news. 

Condolences.

Terrible news.  Hopes and prayers all around.

My most heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours, Austin.

May you heal and have peace and ease of this unbelieveable burden.

Know that your Michigan family will always be here for you.

Austin,

Have a speedy recovery. I am so unbelievably sorry to hear about this tragedy. There really are no words. May you be comforted in these trying times.

Statement from John Beilein from a Free Press article:

"We are saddened to hear about another tragedy that has affected the Hatch family. Austin needs as much support right now as possible and I know he will be in the thoughts and prayers of the Michigan family during this difficult time."

Talked to Russell Byrd (he's at the hospital with Austin and his family), said Austin's fighting and getting better. 

Thanks for all your comments and prayers - truly an overwhelming situation.  Austin's parents (see Russell's tweet) were wonderful, generous people. 

My prayers go out to the young man and his family. Saddening story and hope he comes out alright. The MICHIGAN family will always be here too for ya son.

And this is the second time he's lost a parent this way?  What horrific luck.  I hope and pray he can get through this.

One can ohly hope and pray that he recovers physically and psychologically.  The prior accident must have had an impact due to the loss of family life, but then for this to occur so shortly after realizing a dream of attaining a scholarship to UM.

Our prayers are with Austin Hatch.  I hope that there is an extended family to support him through the dark days that are sure to follow.  Let's also hope that he recovers sufficiently to play out the dream and return to playing a sport that he clearly loves.

Terrible tragedy.  God be with you Austin.

to think I was pissed at a parking ticket I got today. My prayers are with Austin. Get well sir.

WHEN Austin overcomes this, he'll show the heart, determination, and perseverance found in everyone in the Michigan family. Get better Austin, we are all behind you!

My thoughts and prayers go out to you, young man. Speedy recovery.

I dont even care if hes a michigan basketball player or not, the tradgey he has just faced and the condition he is in right now eliminates all of that. I hope for a safe recovery both mentally and physically for him.

The young man will be in my thoughts.  I'm sure the Michigan family will rally around him.  Somebody please let us know if we can send cards or something like that  (assuming that's not an NCAA violation). 

go out to Austin and the Hatch family. Shocked to hear it happened twice to him. Don't know what to say......horrible.

Would Austin qualify for a medical hardship  scholarship, if recovered enough to attend school, but not enough to play?

Does anyone know if he has any immediate family left? Brothers and Sisters? 

What Horrible news...

Thoughts and prayers go out to him and the rest of his family.  Hoping the young man can make it through this tough time now and in the future.  I haven't looked too deep into the story, but I'm hoping our Mich family has made there way out there for support in a time when any shoulder is a well needed shoulder to lean on.  I too lost my parents at a young age and know what he'll be going through.  I'll be rooting for him, not only for the Michigan connection, but as anyone who has a soul, you're heart goes out to people faced with this type of adversity.  Praying...

I hope we can give him a scholarship even if he isn't able to play basketball.  Or we should start a charity.  Or something.  It sucks not feeling like theres anythingto do to help.

to him that he pulls through. 

From an Indiananewscenter.com piece:

***Update on Austin’s condition from family friend Jay Leonard:

“I got off the phone with a good friend of ours, Dr. Bob VanHorn, and he and his wife Renee were at the hospital today. Bob said that they had induced coma and he's currently resting comfortably. He does have some broken bones. From what Bob told me, he's got some broken ribs and clavicle. He did fracture his leg, but he said that there's nothing that needs to be done as far as casting or pins, that type of thing. Both of his lungs are punctured from what I understand, but they've got that under control. The most important thing right now that they're monitoring is that he has a fractured skull and he has some swelling on the brain.”

Leonard went on to say that VanHorn believes the doctors in Michigan have control over Austin’s situation. He also said that neurological tests will be done over the next few days.

Such tragic news. Wish nothing but the best for the young man and his family..stay strong Austin.

Praying for healing and restoration in Jesus name. Both physically and emotionally both Austin and his family.

Austin will have a long road back, but he will have the Lord's arms, and those of the Michigan Family, wrapped around him. 

I checked the FAA N-number registration site (the Det News website has a picture of the empennage of the aircraft at the accident scene). The aircraft was a Beech A36 "Bonanza". The aircraft type has a reasonably good safety record, although previous variants of the Bonanza (particularly the infamous "V-tail") were much more checkered. The Bonanza requires an experienced pilot to safety operate, (due to a narrow weight and balance envelope) but Austin's dad had apparently been flying for many years.

As a private pilot myself, I will be interested to learn what caused this accident, and what might be learned from it. For me, these accidents and tragedies are always reminders that "there, but for the grace of God, go I."

If anyone from the athletic dept or U-M contacts Austin, would that be considered a recruiting violation?

Prayers go out for this young man.

All positive energy to Austin as well as those close to him. Pulling for him to come through this tragedy.

I'm not even sure what to say to something like this. I hope with all my heart that recovers well, and he gets the support he needs to overcome it.

This poor kid has no immediate family left now. I hope the brain swelling doesn't have any permanent effects and that we still give him a scholarship so he can get his degree at UM even if he can't play basketball.

my thoughts are with him that he can pull through this.

Prayers to the Hatch family and especially Austin for a recovery, basketball completely aside. I can't imagine having to deal with that amount of loss and I truly hope to see the guy in a Michigan uniform still someday or at least at U-M.

Unfortunately, the comments on the ESPN article were far less tasteful towards this situation and it makes me sad that people can't put their appalling thoughts aside during a situation like this.

From the EMS providers, sometimes it gets overlooked. Austin was taken from charlevoix to traverse city which is about 50 miles, im just starting in the firefighter/paramedic field and ive seen patients airlifted before. It takes time to get the patient to the trauma center and in this field 10 minutes can be the difference between life and death. The great thing is that the swelling on the brain is minor and that's the most important thing to worry about right now, if the doctors can continue to keep it down im positive that he will pull thru.

Wishing Austin a speedy recovery from the physical injuries and wishing him all the best in moving forward!  I do hope he is still able to make to Michigan even if it's just for the educations.  Very sad to hear about both sets of losses due to plane crashes.  

Go luck Austin and wish you all the best!  Stay strong!   Will keep you and your family in my prayers!!!

We all have you in our hearts, Austin.

This happened 5 five blocks away from my house. It was a crappy night with wind and rain. The runway to the airport was literally on the other side of the road maybe 100 yds away. Prayers to for Austin.

We need a big giant "Get Well" card or banner that everyone can sign and we can send to this kid. 

We're pulling for you Austin. 

Tweet from Greg Jones of Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

Plans are to bring Austin Hatch out of coma Monday; teammates Davis Rao and Trent Van Horn are with him at hospital

EDIT: Part of the above tweet seems to be based on a new AP article, which also says:

A spokeswoman for the hospital [in] Traverse City, Mich., says Austin remains in critical condition.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Austin. 

The magnitude of this stuff is hard to fathom.  Can't say enough how much we're all thinking about Austin on campus.  

Anyone know how much contact our coaching staff is allowed to have with Austin at this point in the recruiting process?  Knowing what kind of men they are we all know they're gonna want to be there for him for what ever he needs.

This is truly a very sad story.  He has gone through so much at such a young age.  My heart goes out to him.

New AP article has some more details on Austin Hatch's injuries and treatment, based on information from his father's business partner, Dr. G. David Bojrab:

Austin Hatch suffered brain bruising and swelling and deep facial cuts in Friday's crash that killed his father, Stephen Hatch, and stepmother, Kim, but has shown some hopeful signs at a northern Michigan hospital, said Dr. G. David Bojrab.

. . .

Bojrab said Austin's brain swelling was going down and he had been moving all four limbs when doctors reduce [reduced?] the coma-inducing drugs they placed him on after Friday's crash. But Bojrab said it's unclear how soon doctors plan to take Austin off those drugs.

"They're waiting for the brain swelling to go down," he said. "He has bruising to the brain but there's no structural damage as far as they can tell right now, so they're hoping that that's a good sign and he'll have a better recovery or a full recovery."

Austin you're in my thoughts and prayers.

Jeff Arnold story from ThePostGame.com—Friends Rush To Support Michigan Basketball Recruit Involved In Second Plane Crash—offers a personal perspective from one of Austin's teammates, Trent VanHorn.

You're in the thoughts and prayers of the entire University of Michigan community.  We all hope for the best on your road to recovery.