{UAH} Michael Schumacher fighting for dear life
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Michael Schumacher coma: Condition 'life-threatening' after French ski crash, doctors say
Updated
Former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher would not be alive if he had not worn a helmet, doctors treating him say, as the legend remains in a critical condition following a ski accident in the French Alps.
"If someone had had this type of accident without a helmet, they would definitely not be here," one doctor said.
Doctors say it is still too early to tell what the outcome will be.
Intensive care unit head Jean-Francois Payen told a news conference on Monday that Schumacher's condition is "life-threatening".
"For the moment, we cannot say what Michael Schumacher's future is," he said.
"We are working round the clock - we are trying to win time."
Professor Stephan Chabardes operated on Schumacher and says the former racer arrived in hospital in an agitated state and was not able to answer questions.
He says Schumacher's condition "rapidly deteriorated" and he fell into a coma, with an emergency brain scan revealing internal bleeding, and injuries including contusions and lesions.
Professor Chabardes says they operated once to treat the internal bleeding.
Doctors say Schumacher has been placed in an artificial coma but, contrary to an earlier French media report, say they have not carried out a second operation.
They say there are no plans for any further interventions at this stage.
The 44-year-old German had been skiing off-piste with his 14-year-old son in the French Alps resort of Meribel, where he reportedly owns a property.
He "was suffering a serious brain trauma with coma on his arrival, which required an immediate neurosurgical operation," the hospital in the south-east French city of Grenoble said in a statement.
Resort director Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte earlier said Schumacher was conscious "but very agitated" during the transport to the University Hospital of Grenoble.
"He fell around 11:00am (local time) and hit a rock with his head," he said.
German Formula One quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel says he was "shocked" by the skiing accident.
"I hope that he'll be feeling better as soon as possible," he said.
"I wish his family much strength now."
A spokesman for German chancellor Angela Merkel says she was shocked to hear the news.
"We hope that he overcomes his injuries and can recover," the spokesman said.
Schumacher won the F1 world championship seven times between 1994 and 2004 and announced his final retirement from racing in late 2012.
Son of a bricklayer who first raced on the go-kart track
Michael Schumacher: a need for speed
- Born January 3 1969 in Germany
- Won the F1 world championship seven times between 1994 and 2004
- Regarded by most as the best F1 driver ever
- Raced for Benetton and Ferrari before retiring in 2006
- In 2002 he finished in the top three in every F1 race
- Signed a three-year comeback deal for Mercedes in 2010 but failed to recapture glory years
- Announced final retirement from racing in late 2012
Read Michael Schumacher's full career profile
Schumacher was born in January 1969 near Cologne, Germany, the son of a bricklayer who also ran the local go-kart track, where his mother worked in the canteen. His younger brother, Ralf also became a successful Formula One driver.
By 1987, Schumacher was the German and European go-kart champion and had left school to work as an apprentice mechanic, although he was soon racing professionally.
In 1990 he won the German F3 championship and was hired by Mercedes to drive sports cars. Just a year later he burst onto the Formula One scene, qualifying seventh for Jordan in his debut race at Belgium.
The young German was immediately snapped up by Benetton, where he won his first Formula One race in 1992, again at Belgium's tough Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Schumacher won 18 races over the next four seasons with Benetton, claiming back-to-back world titles in 1994 and 1995.
In 2002 Schumacher won 11 times and finished on the podium in all 17 races.
In 2003, he broke Juan Manuel Fangio's record by claiming his sixth world title and in 2004 he won 13 races, his greatest season.
He lives in Switzerland with his wife and two children.
AFP/Reuters
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