Jules Bianchi Condition: Racecar Driver Nearly Dead From Horrific Crash?; Father Describes 'Great' Damage From Impact

Formula One race car driver Jules Bianchi very nearly reached the point of death after a devastating car crash during the Japanese Grand Prix on the weekend of October 6. Bianchi crashed off the racing circuit and hit a mobile crane that was situated inside the track barriers. The crane was left there to recover another car that had previously crashed as well. Jules Bianchi's condition was critical after the horrific crash, and he had been sent to a Japanese hospital where he was being treated for severe head trauma.

His team, Marussia was being blamed for the crash, as reports emerged that the French race car driver was told to ignore the yellow flags on the race track that were there to warn racers about the wet conditions of the track, so that he will not lose speed.  Reports have surfaced that Bianchi virtually ignored the marshals who were waving yellow flags to warn about the slippery part of the track. The Formula One team has since issued a statement saying that these rumors were "entirely false."

Bianchi's father Philippe Bianchi has been quoted as saying that he is fearing the worst for his son's Jules Biachi's condition. "Every time the phone rings we know it could be the hospital to say Jules is dead," Philippe Bianchi in an interview with an Italian newspaper. "One day he seems a little better, another a bit worse. The doctors don't say. The damage in the impact was great, but they don't know how it will evolve."

After nearly a month of fighting for his life, Jules Bianchi's condition has reportedly improved. Reportedly, the French race car driver is now officially out of artificial coma and has been breathing on his own, unaided by medical devices.

The race car driver's family released the following statement: "Almost seven weeks after Jules' accident at Suzuka Circuit, and following a challenging period of neurological intensive care, we are able to announce that Jules has made an important step. Jules is no longer in artificial coma in which he was placed in shortly after the accident, however, he is still unconscious. He is breathing unaided and his vital signs are stable, but his condition is still classified as critical."