The family of Michael Schumacher continues to keep the greatest secret about the state of health of the 54-year-old former German champion, still being cared for at his home in Gland, Switzerland. On December 29, it will be ten years since he suffered a skiing accident on the slopes of the Méribel resort. Suffering from head trauma and a cerebral hemorrhage, the Formula 1 legend was plunged into a coma and then hospitalized before returning a few months later to his villa on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Jean Todt, his former boss at Scuderia Ferrari, continues to regularly visit his friend whose state of consciousness is unknown but according to several testimonies, he is unable to communicate with those around him. “Michael (Schumacher) is here, so I don’t miss him. He’s not the Michael from before. He is different and is beautifully mentored by his wife and children who protect him. His life is different and I have the privilege of being able to share moments with him,” commented the former president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile in an interview with L’Equipe, before adding: “He “He’s no longer the Michael we knew.”
A decade after the tragedy in the Alps, the German channel ARD will broadcast a documentary covering the circumstances of the accident. Two errors were made that day, having contributed to worsening the situation and the state of health of “Schumi”. Jens Gideon, to whom we owe the documentary, went to collect the testimony of a monitor present on site at the time of the events. He claims that the snow cover was insufficient for skiing in this off-piste area.
“We don’t go there on a day like that. It was clear that there was not enough snow,” explained the witness, confirming the presence of visible stones on the ground and against which Schumacher’s helmet, equipped with a camera, hit. The track from which Michael Schumacher exited had “marking in accordance with the regulations in force”, the prosecutor indicated at the time. And the rock that damaged the helmet was located eight meters from this marking.
Also read Jean Todt on Michael Schumacher: “He fights. We hope that his condition will improve.
The monitor also assures that the driver with 91 Formula 1 victories seemed conscious after his fall, giving the first rescuers the impression that the state of health was not that serious. But it would have seriously deteriorated during its transfer by helicopter to Moutiers. According to the instructor, who is not a healthcare professional, three minutes would have been lost. Precious time which could have been fatal to the German.
An hour after his treatment in Moutiers, Michael Schumacher was transferred to the Grenoble University Hospital, a larger and better equipped establishment. In Isère, the race against time was only just beginning. The pilot underwent two operations to remove blood clots from his brain before finally emerging from the coma on June 16, 2014.
