A South Bend firefighter who has been in a coma since he was hit by a suspected drunk driver in January will be taken to a hospital near Indianapolis for more treatment.

Mike Kowalski was placed in a medically-induced coma after the Jan. 16 crash and hasn’t yet woken up. A group of South Bend Fire Department firefighters will escort Kowalski to St. Vincent Hospital in Carmel on Friday morning, WSBT reported.

Kowalski’s loved ones hope that he will wake up soon.

Meanwhile, 41-year-old Oswaldo Mendez faces up to 2 ½ years in prison after he was charged with operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, a level 6 felony, in connection to the crash.