The tragic accident that knocked out the seven-time Formula 1 champion turns 10 this Friday, 29 years old
December 29, 2013 was marked by tragic skiing accident which eliminated seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher from the scene. A decade later, little is known about the former German pilot’s health and routine, kept confidential at the request of his family. and, above all, his wife Corinna Schumacher.
- Michael Schumacher undergoes sound therapy in the Mercedes-AMG, the newspaper writes
Sporadically, reports from friends and people close to “Schumi” make headlines, but do little to shed light on the real situation of one of the biggest names in motorsport.
Find out what is known about Schumacher’s life after the accident:
• Michael Schumacher definitively retired from Formula 1 in 2012, after a return in 2009. On 29 December 2013, the former driver was skiing in the resort of Meribel, in the French Alps, with his son Mick – 14 years old at the time – when suffered the accident.
• Schumi entered an unmarked danger zone, between two lanes. He was wearing a helmet, but he hit his head hard and the equipment broke in half. Schumacher was admitted to hospital in Grenoble, near the area of the accident, and underwent two surgeries. The German remained in a coma for six months before being brought home. He never appeared in public again.
• During the time he was hospitalized in France, Schumacher showed signs of improvement, which motivated doctors. In June 2014, the former pilot woke up from a coma and was transferred to another hospital, leaving Grenoble for Lausanne, Switzerland. In September he left hospital to continue treatment at his home on Lake Geneva, where an intensive care unit was set up.
• Without providing information from doctors or family, Schumacher began to be cared for by his wife Corinna Betsch and a medical team, with the support of masseurs and nurses, 24 hours a day. There was always hope for his recovery. There was also an expectation that the German’s family would move to Mallorca, Spain, but this did not happen.
• In 2019, Schumacher was taken by ambulance to Paris, France for an experimental stem cell treatment at Georges Pompidou Hospital. According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the aim was an anti-inflammatory action. However, no positive results have been announced from the techniques of the French doctor Philippe Ménasché.
• One of the few times Corinna spoke to the public was in the documentary “Schumacher”, released in September 2021 on Netflix, in which she provides a moving testimony about her husband’s health. “Everyone misses Michael, but he’s here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I think.”
Testimonials and wishes
Some of the few people who live with Michael Schumacher have spoken in interviews about the former driver’s legacy and opened up about his health. This is the case of his brother Ralf, 48, who spoke about missing his family and his older brother’s teachings on the slopes.
“I miss my Michael back then. Life is unfair sometimes. Michael was lucky many times in his life, but then this tragic accident happened. Fortunately, modern medical options have allowed us to do some things, but nothing It’s more like before.”
“Michael wasn’t just my brother. When we were kids, he was also my coach and mentor. He literally taught me everything about kart racing. There may be a seven-year age difference, but he was always by my side. We have course together, we trained on overtaking maneuvers and everything that matters in motorsport. He explored all the different things that I had already internalized. I had the honor of learning from the best”, added the 48-year-old former driver.
Former manager Willi Webber, with whom Schumacher worked for 30 years before the breakup, commented on the possibility of seeing the seven-time Formula 1 champion again, but with the regret of those who have seen him since he was a child.
“Unfortunately I have no hope of seeing him again. Ten years after the accident there is no positive news. I regret it very much and I blame myself, I should have gone to visit Michael in hospital (when he had an accident)”, yes Webber complained in an interview with the German newspaper Kolner Express.
Family secret
The lawyer specializing in press matters for the Schumacher family, Felix Damm, gave an interview to the German portal LTO (Legal Tribune Online) in October 2023 in which he clarified some points on the reasons that pushed the former driver’s family to hide it from the public and media information on the state of health of the seven-time champion.
“(Provide a factual account of Schumacher’s state of health) It has always been about protecting private things. Of course, we have discussed a lot about how this is possible. So we also looked at whether a final report on Michael’s health might be the right way to go about it. But this would not have been enough and constantly updated “unstable bulletins” would have been needed. Because, as affected people, it is not up to you to put an end to the media. They may return to that relationship again and again and ask themselves, “What is it like now?” One, two, three months or years after intercourse. And if we then wanted to take action against this complaint, we would have to address the issue of voluntary self-exposure,” Damm explained.
The lawyer mentions the issue of “voluntary self-exposure”, because this was a recurring theme in the legal battles that the Schumacher family fought to prevent the disclosure of certain contents on the German’s state of health. He is referring to the fact that the family itself, accompanied by doctors, released information about the former Ferrari driver shortly after the accident.
“In principle, no one can claim the confidentiality of facts that he himself has voluntarily disclosed to the public. In this context, jurisprudence speaks of self-opening of the private sphere. This is why we have had to address the topic of “self-exposure” several times in court. In the end we were right. It was decided that the press conference statements were so general that there should be no speculation about the state of health. Furthermore, it was questionable whether the information would be volunteered when requested by the hundreds of journalists who surrounded the hospital for days,” Damm said.
*With information provided by Estadão Conteúdo.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
