Lone air crash survivor asks 'Why me?'

LEXINGTON, Ky., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The badly injured co-pilot who was the lone survivor of a Kentucky plane crash in August is apparently unaware of what happened, family friends said.

James Polehinke, 44, has been upgraded to serious condition at the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in Lexington, Ky., and is out of a medically induced coma, the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal reported.

Polehinke was the first officer at the controls when Comair Flight 5191 took off from the wrong runway at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport and crashed in a nearby field, killing 49 people on Aug. 27.

Family friend Antonio Cruz said Polehinke's first words came Tuesday when he asked "Why did God do this to me?"

However, doctors have told family members not to talk to Polehinke about the crash, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

So far, at least three lawsuits have been filed against Comair, a division of Delta Airlines, the airport and the Federal Aviation Administration, which employs air traffic controllers.