The 12-year-old boy injured in a car accident April 5 near Larimore, N.D., remains in critical condition in a Fargo hospital, in a coma induced to contain damage to his brain.
But he has shown signs of an improved condition, especially in the past day or so, according to his Caringbridge website maintained by his family.
After spending more than a week on a ventilator, he's mostly breathing on his own, according to a family member.
A week ago, he was taken by ambulance to Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, then airlifted to Sanford Health hospital in Fargo.
The boy has yet to regain consciousness, but moves around seeking a comfortable position, his family reports.
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He was in the back seat of a car with four other young people -- two girls and two boys, in their mid-teens -- that crossed state Highway 18 and drove into a belt of trees just south of U.S. Highway 2, about three miles north of Larimore.
None of the other four older occupants of the Pontiac were injured seriously.
According to his family, the 12-year-old was not wearing a seat belt.
The Grand Forks County state's attorney's office said Tuesday that so far, the Patrol's investigation into the accident has not resulted in any charges being recommended.
The Herald is not publishing the boy's name at this time.
