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| Michael Schumacher 'undergoes second operation' after skiing accident | Michael Schumacher 'undergoes second operation' after skiing accident |
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| Michael Schumacher has undergone a second operation following a skiing accident in the French Alps, German and French media have reported. | Michael Schumacher has undergone a second operation following a skiing accident in the French Alps, German and French media have reported. |
| French doctors in Grenoble will give an update on the condition of the Formula One legend at 10am on Monday. | |
| Schumacher, 44, was airlifted to Grenoble after falling heavily and hitting his head while skiing on the unmarked slope at the Méribel resort with friends and his 14-year-old son. | |
| Overnight, various reports in the French and German media have claimed that Schumacher had been operated on twice after suffering a brain haemorrhage and had been put into a 48-hour artificial coma. | Overnight, various reports in the French and German media have claimed that Schumacher had been operated on twice after suffering a brain haemorrhage and had been put into a 48-hour artificial coma. |
| The hospital issued a statement on Sunday night describing his state as "critical". He was in a coma on arrival at the hospital suffering from "severe brain trauma" and had undergone surgery, the statement said. French media reports said that Schumacher, whose family is at his bedside, had also had a brain haemorrhage. | The hospital issued a statement on Sunday night describing his state as "critical". He was in a coma on arrival at the hospital suffering from "severe brain trauma" and had undergone surgery, the statement said. French media reports said that Schumacher, whose family is at his bedside, had also had a brain haemorrhage. |
| A top brain surgeon from Paris, Gérard Saillant, rushed to the hospital to attend to the former grand prix driver. Saillant, an expert in brain and spine injury, is a close friend of Schumacher, having operated on him when he broke his leg at Silverstone in 1999. | A top brain surgeon from Paris, Gérard Saillant, rushed to the hospital to attend to the former grand prix driver. Saillant, an expert in brain and spine injury, is a close friend of Schumacher, having operated on him when he broke his leg at Silverstone in 1999. |
| A skier with Schumacher's group raised the alarm within minutes of the accident, which occurred just after 11am in bright and sunny weather. "The skier alerted mountain rescue just a few hundred metres below where he fell," said the director of Méribel Alpina, Olivier Simonin, in charge of security and skilifts at the site. | |
| Two rescuers arrived quickly and called in two others to help evacuate Schumacher who had been wearing a helmet. Schumacher remained conscious after the fall and was initially helicoptered to the nearest hospital at Moûtiers. But doctors had then him flown to Grenoble, which has a specialised trauma unit. | |
| Simonin said it was not known whether Schumacher hit his head on a rock. "All we know is that he hit his head," he said. | Simonin said it was not known whether Schumacher hit his head on a rock. "All we know is that he hit his head," he said. |
| The hospital announcement was the first since a terse statement in the afternoon released by Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm. She confirmed the accident and said that nobody else was involved in the fall. | The hospital announcement was the first since a terse statement in the afternoon released by Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm. She confirmed the accident and said that nobody else was involved in the fall. |
| "Michael fell on his head when he was on a private skiing trip in the French Alps. He was taken to hospital and is receiving professional medical attention. We ask for understanding that we cannot give out continuous information about his health," the statement said. | "Michael fell on his head when he was on a private skiing trip in the French Alps. He was taken to hospital and is receiving professional medical attention. We ask for understanding that we cannot give out continuous information about his health," the statement said. |
| Méribel director Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte had earlier described Schumacher as being "in shock, somewhat shaken, but conscious" when the emergency rescue team reached him. He also said Schumacher's head injury was "not serious", but a resort spokesman said later that Méribel officials were waiting for a more comprehensive medical report. | |
| Gernigon-Lecomte said Schumacher owned a chalet in the valley and knew the resort and the pistes of Méribel well. "It was something habitual for him," he said. | |
| Messages of support for Schumacher have been pouring in since the gravity of his condition became apparent last night. | Messages of support for Schumacher have been pouring in since the gravity of his condition became apparent last night. |
| Fellow racing driver Romain Grosjean wrote on Twitter: "All our thoughts to Schumi and his family! Hope you will recover soon." . Felipe Massa put a picture himself hugging the seven-time F1 champion on Instagram: "I am praying for you my brother!! I hope you have a quick recovery!! God bless you Michael." | |
| Jenson Button tweeted: "My thoughts are with Michael Schumacher at this tough time. Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this." | |
| Tennis legend Boris Becker, football star Lukas Podolski, tennis player Sabine Lisicki , Dallas Mavericks' German basketball forward Dirk Nowitzki and cricketer Michael Vaughan were among the many athletes who also expressed their support. | Tennis legend Boris Becker, football star Lukas Podolski, tennis player Sabine Lisicki , Dallas Mavericks' German basketball forward Dirk Nowitzki and cricketer Michael Vaughan were among the many athletes who also expressed their support. |
| German media have been mostly careful not to speculate on Schumaher's condition. One article in Die Welt speculated that the F1 driver may have misjudged the situation because he was racing his own son, but was criticised on social media by many, including fellow German driver Nick Heidfeld . | |
| Several newspapers have reminded readers of Schumacher's lucky escapes in the past. Schumacher's first title-winning season was marked by the tragic death of Ayrton Senna, but the German often got away with near misses. He survived crashes unscathed in 1995 and 1998. In 2001, Schumacher broke his lower leg during a training accident in 2001. In February 2009 he had to postpone his comeback after a motorcycle crash, in which he fractured his skull. | |
| Felix Gorner, a racing reporter from RTL television channel, said that the latest accident could only be understood within the context of Schumacher's history as a F1 driver. "He wanted the adrenaline rush, he needed to test his own limits", he said, pointing out that the other hobbies Schumacher had taken up included motorbike racing and skydiving. His former manager Willi Weber had described Schumacher as an "adrenaline junkie". | Felix Gorner, a racing reporter from RTL television channel, said that the latest accident could only be understood within the context of Schumacher's history as a F1 driver. "He wanted the adrenaline rush, he needed to test his own limits", he said, pointing out that the other hobbies Schumacher had taken up included motorbike racing and skydiving. His former manager Willi Weber had described Schumacher as an "adrenaline junkie". |
| French media initially said on Monday that the sportsman's cranial trauma was not life-threatening. However, by early evening, that prognosis changed. Some French fans of Schumacher gathered in the afternoon outside the hospital, as they waited in vain for news. Olivier Panis, a former Formula One driver from Grenoble, came to the hospital twice during the day but was unable to see the German driver. | French media initially said on Monday that the sportsman's cranial trauma was not life-threatening. However, by early evening, that prognosis changed. Some French fans of Schumacher gathered in the afternoon outside the hospital, as they waited in vain for news. Olivier Panis, a former Formula One driver from Grenoble, came to the hospital twice during the day but was unable to see the German driver. |
| When he fell, Schumacher was skiing close to one of the chic resort's most difficult pistes in the Three ValleysHe was skiing off-piste between the pistes La Biche and the more difficult runs of Mauduit, named after the former French skiing champion George Mauduit. The slope, devoid of trees, where he and his son were skiing, is at an altitude of 2,100 metres, close to the luxury resort of Courchevel. The pair were about 20 metres away from the marked slope when Schumacher tumbled, according to Simonin. | When he fell, Schumacher was skiing close to one of the chic resort's most difficult pistes in the Three ValleysHe was skiing off-piste between the pistes La Biche and the more difficult runs of Mauduit, named after the former French skiing champion George Mauduit. The slope, devoid of trees, where he and his son were skiing, is at an altitude of 2,100 metres, close to the luxury resort of Courchevel. The pair were about 20 metres away from the marked slope when Schumacher tumbled, according to Simonin. |
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