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Former F1 champion Schumacher injured in ski accident


WarpSpeed

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Not just injured, but critically...

http://news.yahoo.com/former-f1-champion-schumacher-injured-ski-accident-media-130943232--f1.html

Here's hoping this is not what takes out this great champion, get well Micheal, hopes are with you..

I thought I was hearing a fake story at first, not happy to hear it was true, they say he was wearing a helmet to boot, that's the good news at least or he'd not even be giving it this much a fight if not and at first when hearing, I thought he couldn't have been that foolish not to have worn one... Happy to hear he was that prepared at least.

Edited by WarpSpeed
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Yeah it's very sad news indeed and I wonder if Filipe will be there to help out if/when he comes around to help him through since he's been there. One can only hope he does recover fully, a head injury can of course have varying degrees of recovery. Many times confidence is misunderstood as arrogance when it's not such a bad thing and completely necessary for people in his sport.

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Ermm Filipe was wearing a helmet, one much heftier then a skiing helmet actually.. The helmet only protects so much, the brain still rattles inside the skull and contacts jagged edges of bone inside the skull as well just as impact compression injuries, then it swells and often bleeds inside and the tissue has no where to expand so it does more damage from loss of blood that kills brain tissue. Mostly a helmet just keeps from external impacts that can crack open the skull preventing those sort of fractures and further serious brain injuries but still heavy injuries occur, besides a skiing helmet is nothing like a car racing or bike racing helmet in terms of strength.

Edited by WarpSpeed
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Very bad news.

The BBC have reported that he's in a coma and is fighting for his life.

That is a medically induced coma due to the swelling of the brain.

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," Ms Kehm told reporters gathered outside the Grenoble hospital where he is being treated.

Source + Video

Schumacher's ski helmet 'broke in two' in high-speed crash

Source close to investigation says racing driver was likely skiing at around 50 mph when accident occurred

The impact of Michael Schumacher’s fall was so severe that his ski helmet “broke in two” when his head hit a rock, according to a source close to the investigation into the accident.

Telegraph

Been a fan of his for a long time and hope the best for him.

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I understand their comments about no significant changes being "good news" from the stand point that he's not deteriorating further but it's not really "good news". It's optimistic at best and media speak since good news would be showing distinctive signs of recovery even at this early stage...

Edited by WarpSpeed
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Very bad news.

The BBC have reported that he's in a coma and is fighting for his life.

That is a medically induced coma due to the swelling of the brain.

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," Ms Kehm told reporters gathered outside the Grenoble hospital where he is being treated.

Source + Video

Schumacher's ski helmet 'broke in two' in high-speed crash

Source close to investigation says racing driver was likely skiing at around 50 mph when accident occurred

The impact of Michael Schumacher’s fall was so severe that his ski helmet “broke in two” when his head hit a rock, according to a source close to the investigation into the accident.

Telegraph

Been a fan of his for a long time and hope the best for him.

Not being a snow skier myself that comment he was likely doing 50mph changes the empathises somewhat! I can now see how the helmet was inadequate.

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Yeah skiers can get some serious speed, pro down hillers hit as much as 70mph. You may not know or remember but several US celebs have perished on ski slopes, it's a serious sport. Sonny Bono died when he impacted a tree as did one of the Kennedys..

Edited by WarpSpeed
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  • 4 weeks later...

Yeah skiers can get some serious speed, pro down hillers hit as much as 70mph. You may not know or remember but several US celebs have perished on ski slopes, it's a serious sport. Sonny Bono died when he impacted a tree as did one of the Kennedys..

He wasn't downhilling, he was likely just riding like most of us do at medium speed; early season and was extremely unlucky to fall (likely a tumbling fall so that means Gs with the body weight behind you) onto his head which landed on a rock. Happens. Sadly.

Downhill is a brutal, brutal sport, there is an excellent film about it called The Thin Line - which is about the line between crazy risk and winning - Schummacher is nowhere near the level of being able to race Downhill (it's a pretty specialist part of skiing), if he raced it would be in slalom of Giant slalom (GS) and from what I've seen he has club level technique - downhill they get up to close to 100mph - almost no protection other than the helmet - you fall and it frigging hurts.

trailer:

This is one of the greats of skiing, running the world's most famous downhill, Bode Miller in 2008, including riding the fence (briefly at 32sec)

By comparison this is Ted Liggity running GS: this is maybe a little quicker but not much than the speed of a fairly quick recreational skier (with a lot more technique enabling him to get around the gates so quickly - this would be closer to the speed (at most) that MS fell at) - often people nowadays will 'straightline' down runs all over the mountain; that's one reason that riding is so frigging dangerous now; you not only have to deal with your own stupidity, but also someone running you down from behind.

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just adding to what you said,

1. pro downhillers go up to 100mph (not 70mph)

2. downhilling is not really a good judge of speed for MS as he isn't skilful enough to race downhill nor do you race downhill outside of a race course and certainly not on standard skis etc

I thought you might find it interesting to understand the difference between the type of riding I would imagine MS was doing and the limit of the sport (which is mind-blowingly fast). If you don't find that interesting then fair enough. :-)

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I read somewhere he was not going fast at all; he was off piste but within sight of the slope, hit a rock and fell, as it happens. But he was unlucky enough to hit another rock head-first, which split his helmet and did some brain damage.

To me it sounds like a total freak accident. Never wore a helmet in 20+ years of skiing and snowboarding. I was convinced you just don't need one unless you're actually racing. And then for a helmet to be not good enough - that's something.

May he yet recover.

Edited by nikster
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just adding to what you said,

1. pro downhillers go up to 100mph (not 70mph)

2. downhilling is not really a good judge of speed for MS as he isn't skilful enough to race downhill nor do you race downhill outside of a race course and certainly not on standard skis etc

I thought you might find it interesting to understand the difference between the type of riding I would imagine MS was doing and the limit of the sport (which is mind-blowingly fast). If you don't find that interesting then fair enough. :-)

Thank you but I didn't need the lesson, I'm aware of the speeds etc. of professional down hill skiers and common skiers and I don't want to use this thread to start another silly, one up-mans-ship debate, I grow tired of the know nothing know-it- alls that permeate this board just for the sake of an argument..

I just want to wish Micheal good luck and hope for his best recovery though that seems highly unlikely at the mo.

I personally knew a pro sports car driver by the name of Bob Wollack raced and won several championships over his decades long career and was riding his bike to his hotel room as he did every year after getting out of his race car practicing at Sebring.

The road was narrow, 2 lanes with no sidewalks and this elderly man driving a motorhome drove past him and hit him in the back of the head with one of his side mirrors and killed him. This driver drove for over 30 years and was still driving and competitive at 57 when he was killed. When your time is up it's up and it's incredibly ironic and tragic for people who live their lives on the edge like race drivers do and then get taken out in a simple, freak and unpredictable accident.

If there's any consolation, at least he was taken out quickly without a life of suffering and debilitation like I fear for Micheal. I fear for Micheal if he has any awareness of his previous greatness to loose his faculties in any way and to have to endure such a life as a slow painful death of his spirit, mind and body.

Edited by WarpSpeed
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