Most of Mr Ferguson's injuries were internal, he said. "He looks alright on the outside."
Other friends and family of Mr Ferguson, including his daughter Toni, had also been at his bedside, Mr McGregor said. His wife, Tubby, died in 2010.
Mr Ferguson had spoken little about the accident but he had "about 40 years" of experience as a truck driver, Mr McGregor said.
The owner of the truck involved in the crash, Fred Burling, said he did not want to comment on the crash, other than to say he could prove that the truck's load was 27 tonnes of gum logs, not the 35-40 tonnes estimated by police. Martinborough's Denise and Allan Evans were in a car also involved in the incident.
Mrs Evans said the couple were on their way to Masterton when they saw the truck coming towards them "on quite a significant angle".
"It was out of control when it came around the corner towards us," she said.
"We would have been killed if it was slightly closer."
The truck clipped the driver's side of the car but "there's not a lot of damage".
In 1992, Mr Ferguson stood his ground and survived a softball bat attack by Masterton mass murderer Raymond Ratima.
Ratima had already murdered his three young children, his pregnant sister-in-law, her partner and the couple's 3-year-old child.
He then lay in wait in his in-laws' home for his wife, Toni, and Phillip and Tubby Ferguson, where he attacked his father-in-law with a softball bat.
Ratima was denied parole in December last year but is due to have another application heard in November.
