Lee Johnston's family has thanked the public for their support as they revealed the serious injuries the Fermanagh rider sustained at the North West 200.
Johnston was airlifted to hospital after crashing at the Church Corner section of the course during Thursday's Supersport practice session.
The 33-year-old's family provided an update on Tuesday, and revealed some of the injuries sustained included a broken femur, shoulder, a break in the foot and face, a number of broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
Read more: William Dunlop inquest hears crash was 'nothing other than an accident'
He also received a blood transfusion on a nearby golf course and was on a ventilator for three days.
The family said in a statement shared on social media: "Sorry nothing has been released up until this moment. As people are aware, Lee crashed Thursday in the Supersport practice.
"He was airlifted to Belfast hospital in a critical condition after having a blood transfusion on the golf course. It’s been a rollercoaster of a week, with Lee being in intensive care since Thursday, three days on a ventilator, eight hours in surgery.
"We are pleased to announce after suffering a broken femur, shoulder, break in the foot and face, a number of broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Lee is on the slow road to recovery.
"Lee was in a critical condition when he arrived at the hospital, family and team were not informed of how bad of a condition he was in until the hospital staff explained the condition he was in on arrival. With this we weren't aware of what had been released to the public.
"We would like to say a huge thank you to every member of staff that has worked on Lee. From surgeons, doctors, nurses, we are very grateful for the treatment and care he has received.
"A huge thank you to the medical team that worked with Lee to keep him alive on the way to the hospital. The amount of support from people has been incredible and none of it has been unnoticed.
"The support towards Lee, Christie, mum, sister and the team has been incredible. It’s going to be a slow and hard recovery but he will be back better than ever.
"He’s got a long journey ahead of him, we would be grateful if you could respect his privacy while he’s recovering. Thank you again for every single person that’s supported the past week.
"He will be back."
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