James Hinchcliffe 'doing amazingly' after crash

James Hinchcliffe's girlfriend says the IndyCar driver was awake and communicating Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after undergoing surgery on his left thigh.

Kristen Dee made the statement on her Facebook page and says the Canadian driver is "doing amazingly." The post also thanked fans for support.

Hinchcliffe, of Oakville, Ont., is one of IndyCar's most popular drivers. He was injured in a frightening crash at Indianapolis on Monday afternoon.

He lost control of the car when the suspension broke, slamming hard into the third turn wall and nearly flipping the car over.

He was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he had surgery and was placed in intensive care in stable condition.

"He's stable and improving," said Dr. Timothy Pohlman, who performed the surgery at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. "His condition was critical upon his arrival and I think the IndyCar system as a whole needs to be commended for how well they can take care of drivers in this situation."

"Words can't describe how thankful I am" to the on-track Holmatro safety team, Hinchcliffe said in a statement released by IndyCar. "Those guys, in addition to the doctors and staff at the hospital, are my heroes. I can't say enough how much I appreciate the outpouring of support from IndyCar fans, my family and fellow drivers. We are all one big family and it feels like that today."

Hinchcliffe lost a significant amount of blood, a person with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details have not been released by IndyCar or Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

The injury will also keep Hinchcliffe out of the Honda Indy Toronto next month.