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decade has passed since the accident that changed everything for Michael Schumacher and his family. It was on December 29, 2013, just one year after his retirement as an F1 driver, while skiing during the family Christmas vacations, together with his son Mick (who was 14 years old) in the Alpine resort of Meribel (France).
Ten years later, the main news about Schumacher’s state of health date back to 2014, when he came out of coma and was transferred to Switzerland; first to a hospital in Lausanne and then to his home in Gland, in September of the same year.
Ten years have passed and a lot of details have faded in time since that December, in the days before and after New Year’s Eve, when journalists were waiting for news at the door of the Grenoble Hospital.
The accident
Despite being an excellent skier, “one of the best I’ve seen as a non-professional,” according to Hubertus von Hohenloe, who has skied for Mexico on several occasions, and who shared days on the snow with Michael, the fatality came on a very simple stretch.
After 11:00 AM, Schumacher descended to an intersection between two slopes in the French ski resort of Meribel, one red and one blue. He continued down one of them, at a normal speed, until he left the marked margins, went out of control when he hit the first rock, and then went forward.
That rock which he hit, and which broke his hull, was eight meters from the marked edge and he fell one meter further. It was said at the time that he had been reckless, that he had acted recklessly, but his manager Sabine Kehm clarified that he had done so “to help a skier who had fallen”.
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Problems in the rescue
Stephane Bozon, the emergency coordinator who rescued Schumacher, recounted the first moments after the fall: “We received the call from the mountain rescuers, who were looking after Michael on the runway.
“They told us that he landed on his head and suffered a serious head injury. I immediately dispatched the helicopter to go to the area. I still remember that the emergency medics in the helicopter had problems on the slopes, because of the complicated area of the accident.”
The helicopter initially flew to the small hospital in Moutiers, but Schumacher’s condition deteriorated drastically during the journey.
Once he lost consciousness and needed to be intubated, the pilot was told to change course for Grenoble.
Critical condition
Upon arrival at the University Hospital Center of the French city, Schumacher underwent emergency surgery to relieve the intracranial pressure in his brain.
Dr. Jean-François Payen, head of neurosurgery, issued a first medical report: “He is in a critical situation. It can be said that his vital prognosis is in question. His condition is very serious.
“At the moment, we cannot say anything about Michael’s fate. It is too early to comment on the possible effects on the patient. We can say that Michael is in a very serious compromised situation. Our objective is to limit the increase in intracranial pressure and to ensure that the oxygenation of his brain is correct.
