Posted on 12/30/2013 9:46:48 AM PST by God luvs America
LONDON Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in the history of Formula One motor racing, with seven world drivers championships, is fighting for his life with brain injuries sustained on Sunday when he hit his head on a rock in a skiing accident in the French Alps, his doctors said on Monday.
They said it was too early to say whether the 44-year-old German would survive, or what the extent of his brain injuries might be. They said his family, including his wife, Corinna, and his teenage son and daughter, were at his bedside, and that the medical team were working continuously to save his life.
Unfortunately, he had some lesions to his brain when he came in, he had some diffuse injuries to his brain, but we cant really say what the outcome will be, Dr. Jean-Francois Payen, an anesthesiologist who is leading Schumachers medical team at the Grenoble University Hospital Center, told a news conference.
Hes in a critical situation and we can say hes fighting for his life, Dr. Payen said. We judge him to be in a very serious condition. He added, We are working continuously, hour by hour, but its too early to say whats going to happen, and to give a prognosis.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Thank you.
Thanks for the update. I pray his youth and good physical condition and the positive energy from his fans world-wide.....carry him to a recovery.
Still praying...thank you for the updates
Grenoble, France: Formula One legend Michael Schumacher remained in critical condition on Sunday a week after his skiing accident in the French Alps, which a German eyewitness said he inadvertently caught on his smartphone. Investigators are focusing on the retired racer's speed when he fell and slammed his head on a rock on a small off-piste section of the Meribel ski resort, prompting his evacuation by helicopter to the Alpine city of Grenoble.
They are hoping that a helmet-mounted camera Schumacher was wearing will provide some clues, as will footage by a 35-year-old German steward who says he was filming his girlfriend on the slopes when by chance he captured the moment when the driver fell. In the background, a skier is seen descending an unmarked run between two groomed pistes before falling, news magazine Der Spiegel reported.
According to the witness, who spoke to the magazine, the seven-time world champion was descending the slope at a "leisurely" pace - "a maximum speed of 20 kilometres an hour". He plans to hand over the footage to French investigators. This would corroborate claims by Schumacher's spokeswoman Sabine Kehm, who said he could not have been going fast "because it appears he helped a friend who had just fallen".
But in a press conference last week, doctors who treated Schumacher said he had been skiing at great speed when he fell on December 29.
Edouard Bourgin, a specialist on accident claims, said there could have been "a catapult effect that explains the violence of the shock, even in the absence of excessive speed." Prosecutors are also looking at whether the limits of the ski runs next to the accident site were correctly marked and whether the rock in question was lying close enough to the piste to require some kind of protection or signage. In addition, they are examining whether the safety releases on Schumacher's skis operated properly in a probe aimed at determining responsibility for the accident.
Schumacher turned 45 on Friday, and fans marked the birthday with a silent vigil outside the facility, part of which was organised by Ferrari, Schumacher's former team. His wife Corinna and two teenage children have been at his bedside throughout, and other family members have come to visit, including his father Rolf and his brother Ralph, who is also a racing driver.
Kehm said Schumacher remains in a "critical but stable" condition after he underwent two surgeries earlier in the week to ease pressure and bleeding. No further press conferences are scheduled before Monday.
more: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/witness-says-he-inadvertently-filmed-michael-schumacher-s-accident-467203
Have you ever noticed the differences in the way Europeans handle fault versus Americans? Without going into which way is superior, I’ve noticed that Europeans rely on assigning blame via governmental inquiries to find fault with and then hold accountable the parties that, in their view, caused the issue. We see this with a lot of international sports, especially F1. Think back to how long the international courts kept drilling at Italy after Senna’s death.
In the US, we’re often seen as extremely litigious, (professional driver on closed course - do not attempt) that “victims” seem to find their upper hand thru the civil courts.
In this specific case, would Schumacher’s doctors treat him any differently if he is found to have been going 20 kph, or 40 kph? And if the ski bindings performed less than optimally, armed with that knowledge, what matter is it to some criminal/political “authority”?
Get well Michael
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Corinna Schumacher has spoken out for the first time since her husband's December 29 accident in the French Alps. In a statement, she said: "It's very important to me that you ease the burden on the doctors and the hospital so that they can do their work in peace."
She asked the international media who have gathered at the hospital in Grenoble to leave. "Please also leave our family alone."
Michael Schumachers manager, Sabine Kehm, told Germanys DPA news agency on Monday evening that more than a week after his accident, his condition had stabilized, something that could be seen as a slight improvement.
However, she declined to confirm a report published by the online edition of the mass-circulation newspaper Bild, which cited unnamed sources close to the former F1 driver who said his life was no longer in "acute" danger.
http://www.dw.de/michael-schumacher-still-critical-but-manager-sees-slight-improvement/a-17344134
lots of video updates- starting to point the finger:
http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/141141.html
The investigators said they have ruled out problems with his skis, trail conditions or signage. Although they would not estimate Schumachers speed, they said it was not considered a significant factor in the Dec. 29 crash at Meribel in the French Alps.
His pace was completely normal for a skilled skier, said Lt. Col. Benoit Vinneman. more:
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/01/08/video-from-michael-schumachers-helmet-cam-shows-formula-one-legend-skiing-off-groomed-trail-when-he-lost-balance-crashed/
But according to the Daily Mail, the silence on Schumacher's condition has led to anxiety in his native Germany, as publications turn to non-official sources to gain an insight into the potential - or otherwise - of Schumacher making a full recovery.
German publication Focus spoke to neurosurgeon Andreas Zieger of the University Clinic for neurosurgery in Oldenburg, a man not part of Schumacher's medical team. Professor Zieger speculated that, given the time Schumacher has been kept in an induced coma, "there may have been complications."
"We should not speculate here. Ultimately, we are talking about life and death. A coma can in theory be maintained for a lifetime. It won't hurt the human brain." Professor Zieger added: "Brain injuries are among the most complicated injuries that can happen to the human body.
French doctors have begun tests on the seven-times Formula One world champion, having been in an artifically induced coma for more than two weeks after his head struck a rock while skiing off-piste in Meribel in France. He has had an operation to remove a small part of his skull in a bid to relieve pressure on his brain but he remains in a critical condition.
Dr Richard Greenwood, an acute brain injury specialist from University College London Hospital, said successful rehabilitation would mean adjusting to a very different life.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/michael-schumacher/10575877/Michael-Schumacher-will-have-to-adjust-to-being-a-very-different-person-brain-injury-specialist-warns.html
-PJ
Sad news, but not surprising. From what I’ve read, it’s very rare that anyone who survives a traumatic brain injury comes back from it the same person they were before the injury.
But prayers for Michael and his family all the same.
As always, thank you so much for the updates. I’ve been trying to find info as it’s been rather scant of late.
Still holding him and his family in my daily prayers.
Just so sad.
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Thanks for the updates on Schumi. This is really sad. He’s an F1 legend.
From my limited experience with brain injuries, I think the Michael has a long road ahead and that there maybe permanent damage. Hopefully both will be minimal. He needs all our prayers.
Now two weeks since doctors started trying to wake Michael Schumacher, the F1 legend remains in a coma.
That is the news of the German daily Bild-Zeitung, reporting that while the seven-time world champion has often presented reflex twitches since the anesthetic was reduced, Schumacher is still not responding to deliberate stimuli.
However, Bild said the former Mercedes and Ferrari drivers wife Corinna who is at his bedside on a daily basis is following the doctors advice by continually talking to the 45-year-old, as there is evidence it can help a patient in Schumachers condition.
The report also claimed the newly-retired Ross Brawn, who worked closely with Schumacher during the ultra-successful Ferrari era, visited the famous drivers bedside, slipping in almost unnoticed by the media last Thursday through the staff entrance.
Meanwhile, it is believed that French investigators into the skiing accident are preparing to reveal their findings, with Bild citing legal sources in believing the file will simply be closed. http://msn.foxsports.com/speed/formula-1/f1-schumacher-currently-not-responding-to-stimuli-report/
Not what I’d been hoping to hear. This is not encouraging, but thanks for letting us know.
It may be ironic that while the drivers have risked all, asked for and gotten better and better safety gear, he used rented skis and rented helmut, probably little protection while on holiday.
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