Former F1 champion Michael Schumacher severely injured while skiing : worldleaks

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition after he endured a head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps Sunday.

The hospital where he is being handled, The French Mountain Gendarmerie, said the 44-year-old arrived in a coma and underwent brain surgery after maintaining a serious head trauma.

The hospital said Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he had a hard fall at the Meribel resort. In a statement, the resort said Schumacher was witting when rescuers came on the scene.

Additionally, orthopedic and trauma surgeon Gerard Saillant had traveled from Paris to the Grenoble hospital to analyse Schumacher. German news agency dpa said it was Saillant who operated on Schumacher when he broke his leg during a crash at the Silverstone race course in 1999.

In an email to The Associated Press, Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm said the retired driver was on a private moving trip and “fell on his head.”

“We ask for realizing that we cannot give running updates on his condition. He wore a helmet and was not alone,” Kehm said. Schumacher’s 14-year-old son was skiing with his father when the accident happened, the resort said.

In addition to the crash at Silverstone, Schumacher was hurt seriously in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 in Spain when he suffered neck and spine injuries. He retrived sufficiently from those injuries to make a comeback in F1.

Schumacher retired in 2006 after winning five straight titles with Ferrari following two earlier ones with Benetton. He came back to the sport in 2010 and drove for three seasons for Mercedes without much success before retiring again last year.

 

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