Alijah Arenas, the USC basketball recruit who was involved in a fiery vehicle accident, is out of an induced coma, his family said in a statement Friday.
The 18-year-old Arenas remains intubated, his family told ESPN, but has “shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours.” The statement also said that Arenas was able to open his eyes and write on a piece of paper part of what happened in the accident.
The family said Arenas remembered the smoke from the crash and wrote to ask, “Did anyone get hurt?”
The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded shortly before 5 a.m. Thursday to a single-vehicle collision in the Reseda area of the San Fernando Valley. The LA Fire Department further said the vehicle was a Tesla Cybertruck that crashed into a tree and a fire hydrant with fire involved.
No cause of the crash has been released.
The family expressed its gratitude to those who have helped Arenas and said further updates would be shared “as Alijah continues to heal.”
Arenas is a son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas. He attends Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, where he became the first prep boys player to score 3,000 career points.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
