Doctor: George Jones making 'remarkable' progress after accident

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Country singer George Jones was making remarkable progress Sunday after a car wreck left him "at death's door" because of a deep cut in his liver, his doctor said.

The 67-year-old singer remained in critical condition in intensive care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "He was at death's door when he came in," said Dr. Virginia Eddy, a trauma surgeon. "So it's remarkable that he's alive at this point." Jones was driving home in his Lexus when he crashed into a bridge about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. It took emergency workers about two hours to free him from the car. In addition to the liver injury, his right lung was punctured. "He's obviously a fighter," Eddy said. "It's really remarkable. I've certainly seen people much younger than him in a whole lot more trouble at this point in time." A ventilator was helping Jones breath, and he was sedated by pain medication. Bleeding from the liver -- the most serious problem -- had stopped. Jones' wife, Nancy, said he is communicating by squeezing her hand. Nancy Jones said many country music stars had called, including Faith Hill, Randy Travis, Waylon Jennings and Tim McGraw. "Johnny Cash just called from Jamaica," Nancy Jones said. Many of Jones' peers and fans consider him the best country music singer of all time. Starting with his first hit "Why Baby Why" in 1955, he has charted more than 140 records, including classics like "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "A Good Year for the Roses." Jones has been cited as an influence by singers far outside the country genre, including Elvis Costello and Ray Charles, both of whom have recorded with him. In the next few days, doctors will try to wean Jones from the ventilator, then start feeding him through a tube in his stomach, Eddy said. If he continues making progress, he could be allowed to go home in as little as two weeks. Nancy Jones said her husband wasn't ready to die. "The good Lord has a reason, he's not going to take George yet," she said. "George has got a lot of singing to do."

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