Skiing Accident Leaves Michael Schumacher Injured

Skiing Accident Leaves Michael Schumacher Injured

A skiing accident left retired Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher with a head injury. The forty-four-year old German was airlifted to a hospital in Moutiers. He was later transferred to Grenoble.

Schumacher fell when he was skiing in an off-piste area flanked by two marked runs near Meribel. He was with his son when the accident happened on the morning of Sunday. His wife and children were with him when he was examined in the hospital.

Meribel resort director Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte said the seven-time F1 champion was stunned but conscious following the accident.

Gernignon-Lecomte also said through Radio Monte Carlo Sport that Schumacher wore a helmet when his head hit a rock. Two ski patrollers attended to the retired F1 champion, who was evacuated by helicopter into Moutiers. He was later brought to a larger facility located in Grenoble.

Professor Gerard Saillant is monitoring the condition of Michael Schumacher. Saillant is a friend of both Schumacher and Jean Todt, former team boss of Schumacher at Ferrari. Saillant also monitored the medical care of the German when he broke his leg during the 1999 British Grand Prix. He is a spine injury and brain specialist.

Sabine Kehm, spokeswoman of Schumacher, said they are asking for the understanding of the public since they cannot continuously release information on the well-being of Michael Schumacher.

Schumacher retired for the second time from F1 in 2012. He has seven world championships under his belt along with ninety-one race victories in a career that spanned nearly two decades. His titles in 1994 and 1994 were won under Benetton before he transferred to Ferrari in 1996. He won five consecutive world titles starting in 2000.

He initially retired in 2006 before joining Mercedes in 2010. The last three seasons of Michael Schumacher only gave him a single podium finish before retiring again in 2012.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Monday December 30 2013, 4:47 AM EST. Ref: BBC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0