Sean O'Keefe, the Washington-based CEO of EADS North America who survived the August 9 Alaska plane crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens, is expected to leave intensive care in the next several days, according to a family spokesman.
O'Keefe, a former Navy secretary and NASA administrator, returned to Washington from Anchorage last week and underwent some minor surgery on a fracture in his lower left leg. "This appears to be the only surgery that Sean will require," family spokesman Paul Pastorek said on a web page created to keep friends and family updated.
"We are hopeful that over the next several days, he will have healed well enough to be off of all of his ICU support. At the same time, the hospital is beginning to make preliminary preparations for Sean to move out of ICU because his progress has been good. Progress continues to trend positively," added Pastorek.
O'Keefe and his son, Kevin, were among the four survivors of the crash that occurred on an annual fishing outing organized by Stevens. The former Republican senator and four others died in the crash. Kevin O'Keefe has been released from the hospital and has recovered so well that he's returning to Syracuse University.
On the CaringBridge.org website dedicated to O'Keefe, hundreds of friends and well-wishers including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig have left messages for the long-time public servant who also served as Pentagon comptroller under former President George H.W. Bush and deputy budget chief to former President George W. Bush.
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