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 can’t really say what the outcome will be,” Dr. Jean-Francois Payen, an anesthesiologist who is leading Schumacher’s medical team at the Grenoble University Hospital Center, told a news conference.

“He’s in a critical situation and we can say he’s 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 it’s too early to say what’s going to happen, and to give a prognosis.”

well, slightly good news to start the year:

Michael Schumacher remains stable in French hospital

GRENOBLE, France -- Retired Formula One champion Michael Schumacher's condition was stable overnight, but the brain injury he suffered during a skiing accident in the French Alps is still critical, his manager said Wednesday.

Sabine Kehm told reporters that his condition has not changed since doctors said he showed small signs of improvement on Tuesday.

Schumacher, who turns 45 on Friday, suffered critical head injuries when he fell and struck a rock while skiing. He has since undergone two brain operations and remains in a medically induced coma.

"The good news for today is ... there's no significant changes," Kehm told reporters gathered outside the Grenoble hospital where he is being treated.

"However, it is still very early, and the situation overall is critical," she added.

Michael Schumacher skiing accident: How it happened

Doctors have refused to give a prognosis for Schumacher, saying they are focused on his immediate care. They are trying to reduce swelling in his brain by keeping him in a coma and lowering his body temperature to between 93.2 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kehm said Schumacher was surrounded by his family and that there is always somebody with him.

Schumacher is the most successful F1 driver in history, racking up a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One last year after garnering an unmatched seven world titles.

His accident has drawn immense media attention, and Kehm confirmed Wednesday that earlier in the week security at the hospital stopped a journalist who was posing as a priest from approaching Schumacher.

Schumi, as his fans affectionately call him, was famously aggressive on the track and no less intense off-hours. In retirement, he remained an avid skier, skydiver and horseback rider.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-schumacher-remains-stable-in-french-hospital/

Update from Australian Yahoo...video at link:

New details emerge of Michael Schumacher's skiing accident

Formula One legend Michael Schumacher reportedly lost control of his skis after hitting a boulder and was sent flying into three other rocks. Schumacher's family remain at his hospital bedside in the French city of Grenoble after the former world champion was placed into an induced coma after a skiing accident. The Daily Mail is reporting the first paramedic on the scene claimed Schumacher hit a boulder which was concealed by snow and then struck three more rocks. "We arrived within two minutes of the accident. The man lost control after hitting a rock that was lightly covered with snow," the paramedic said. "He went into the air and he fell and hit three more rocks on the way down. There was a lot of blood around the last rock where he hit his head."

The German was apparently catapulted with such force that it broke his helmet in two.

Schumacher was skiing in a small, off-piste section of Meribel located in between two slopes, full of half-buried rocks, when the accident happened. The 44-year-old's manager Sabine Kehm told journalists that Schumacher was skiing "with a small group of friends" as well as his son. She said he was not skiing at high speed when the accident happened. "He seems to have hit a rock as he took a turn. It was a chain of unfortunate circumstances."

Schumacher remains in a stable condition as he entered the new year in hospital with severe brain injuries. His wife Corinna, 16-year-old daughter Gina-Maria and 14-year-old son Mick are at his bedside. "At the moment, he is stable," Kehm told reporters massed outside the hospital, in a brief update before heading back inside. Initially described as serious but not life-threatening after the accident in the upmarket resort of Meribel, Schumacher's condition rapidly deteriorated and by Sunday evening, doctors said he was critical and had undergone an emergency operation. On Tuesday, they said a slight improvement in his condition had allowed them to perform a second nearly two-hour long procedure to remove bleeding in the brain, but warned he was "not out of danger" yet.

"We cannot speculate on the future," said Jean-Francois Payen, head of the intensive care unit at the hospital. "We cannot say he is out of danger but we have gained some time." Doctors have so far ruled out any transfer from the hospital, which they say would be "dangerous". But they have pointed out that Schumacher, due to turn 45 on January 3, has age and physical fitness on his side.

He has been put in a medically induced coma to spur recovery, and his temperature has been reduced to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to reduce swelling. Schumacher's accident has prompted an outpouring of sympathy from racing stars and fans alike. Former Formula One champion Niki Lauda, who himself suffered severe injuries in a 1976 racing crash, has also come out in support of the man known fondly as "Schumi". "I think there is someone up there who is trying to help him in this situation. At the time, I could help myself. Michael, though, cannot do anything for the moment," he said in an interview with the Die Zeit weekly, extracts of which were published Wednesday.

Media from around the world are camped out on the parking lot outside the hospital and several people have tried to sneak through the hospital and approach the former racer. "There apparently was a person dressed up as a priest, who tried to get near Michael. I am asking everyone to let the doctors work and leave the family to spend peaceful time with Michael," Kehm said. Asked whether the priest was a journalist, she said: "It's what I was told... We have clearly noted that people are trying to get beyond the press room here in the clinic. It's revolting, in my opinion." On Wednesday, the hospital was forced to ask the press to move vehicles parked near the emergency room.

Schumacher towered over Formula One from his debut in 1991, winning more world titles and races than any other driver.

He first retired aged 37 but was unable to resist the lure of the track and in 2010, he came out of retirement, signing a deal with Mercedes before quitting for good in 2012. As an F1 racer, Schumacher was known for his daring overtaking manoeuvres, his at-times almost reckless abandon in the pursuit of victory and his mastery of the tricky conditions presented by rain. But even off-track, he still enjoyed speed and danger.

During his first retirement, Schumacher survived an accident that knocked him out when racing a motorbike in Spain, although that time he was released from hospital after just five hours.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/20564872/new-details-emerge-of-michael-schumachers-skiing-accident/

i'm not a skier so I don't know but strange Schmui owns a ski lodge in an exclusive part of the world and needs to rent ski's:

Police to speak to Michael Schumacher's manager over F1 legend's ski accident

The manager of Michael Schumacher is reportedly due to be interviewed by police as they continue their investigations into the F1 legend's skiing accident.

The German was rushed to hospital after injuring himself on a skiing vacation at the resort of Meribel in the French Alps on December 29. The 44-year-old has been in a critical condition since, and French investigators are due to speak to Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm, according to newspaper Dauphine Libere. Speaking on Tuesday, Kehm rejected suggestions that the accident occurred because Schumacher was going too fast.

She told reporters: "[It] was an extremely bad and unfortunate circumstance and not because he was speeding too much. "I have spoken with several people, also ski teachers, and they tell me that that can happen even at 10km/h. It was just very, very unfortunate."

Schumacher was said to be using rented skis at the time of the accident. German newspaper Bild to reported that this played a large part in the accident, due to him being unfamiliar with the equipment.

As of Wednesday evening, Schumacher had undergone two brain operations and remains in criticial condition at the Grenoble hospital, where his family are staying with him.

Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/michael-schumacher-ski-accident-police-2980961#ixzz2pGSIYQSI
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No real medical updates on Schumi but:

Fans converge to honour comatose Michael Schumacher as he turns 45

GRENOBLE, France -- Scores of Michael Schumacher's fans converged Friday on a hospital in the French Alps to honour the Formula One great on his 45th birthday, just days after he was critically injured in a skiing accident.

Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since Sunday, when he struck his head on a rock while on a family vacation. About 100 fans came by bus from Italy or by car from northern France and other places, saying they felt compelled to honour a man who had given them so many reasons to celebrate in the past.

Michael Schumacher poses for the photographers at the Silverstone circuit in England, on this Saturday, July 7, 2012. "With all the joy he has given us, it was important for us to return the favour and be here for Michael," said Gulio Carissomi, who drove four hours from Italy to reach Grenoble.

One group of fans quietly assembled in view of the Grenoble hospital's windows, unfurling a large banner for Ferrari, the racing team that Schumacher had anchored. The seven-time F1 champion has undergone two brain operations since the accident. Doctors are keeping him sedated and his body at an artificially low temperature to help with the healing. The physicians have refused to give a prognosis for Schumacher, saying they are focused on his immediate care. Schumacher, known affectionately as Schumi by fans, is the most successful F1 driver in history, racking up a record 91 race wins. He retired in 2012.

Ferrari on Friday sent special birthday greetings to Schumacher, recalling the 72 victories he won from 1996-2006. "Today is Michel Schumacher's birthday. In these hours he's on the most important race of his life and we want to dedicate a special honour to him," the statement said. "Forza (Come on) Michael!"

In a statement, Schumacher's family thanked fans for their support.

"We all know he is a fighter and will not give up," they posted on Schumacher's website.

Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

morning Shumi updates:

Michael Schumacher 'serious, but stable', says manager

Schumacher's manager denies reports he is out of danger, saying his condition remains serious

Michael Schumacher remained in a “critical but stable” condition in a French hospital last night, his spokeswoman said, denying claims made by a friend that he was out of danger. The seven-time world champion’s manager said yesterday that reports his life was no longer under threat were inaccurate and that he was not yet out of the woods.

Schumacher’s friend, former F1 driver Philippe Streiff, had said on Friday that he had been told by the family doctor, Gerard Saillant, that his life was no longer in danger. Schumacher had hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste on Sunday morning. He has been in a medically induced coma for six days since being transferred to a Grenoble hospital, where he has undergone two operations.

Sabine Kehm, his spokesman, said in a statement: “Michael’s condition remains critical but stable. We would like to clearly stress that any information regarding Michael’s health not coming from the doctors treating him or from his management must be treated as invalid and pure speculation,” Schumacher’s agent, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/michael-schumacher/10550535/Michael-Schumacher-serious-but-stable-says-manager.html

Michael Schumacher's ski helmet camera to be examined

A camera fixed to the ski helmet of Michael Schumacher is being inspected by those investigating the accident that has left the German retired racing legend comatose in a French hospital with critical head injuries. A source close to French authorities handling the investigation disclosed the existence of the camera late on Friday. The source said it had been taken in the hope it could throw light on the accident.

Schumacher's 14-year-old son, Mick, who was skiing with his father at the time, was also being questioned by investigators, the source said, confirming information reported by French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere.

Fans holding vigil for Schumi on his birthday

Ferrari fans from France, Italy and Germany display a giant Ferrari flag as they attend a silent 45th birthday tribute to seven-times former Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher (3 Jan 2014)

Fans displayed a giant Ferrari flag outside the hospital

Support message for Schumacher projected onto the hospital in Grenoble (3 January 2013)

Fan prrojected the message 'Schumi, stay strong, keep fighting' onto the facade of his hospital

A woman cries as fans gather outside the Grenoble University Hospital Centre (3 Jan 2014)

For some fans the silent vigil was an emotional moment Corinna Schumacher arriving at hospital (3 Jan 2014)

Schumacher's wife Corinna and family have thanked fans for their support http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25597961

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