Schumaker May In Coma Life Long

[chegu]

Fears appear to be growing for Formula One great Michael Schumacher, with reports he could be in a coma for the rest of his life.

Two German media outlets are reporting that his condition remains so grave that doctors currently have no plans to wake him.
The 44-year-old has been in an artificially induced state of unconsciousness for 18 days, with medics hoping a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain will help it recover from injuries sustained during a ski accident on December 29.
But Schumacher is reportedly not progressing very well.
"There may have been complications", said neurosurgeon Andreas Zieger of the University Clinic for neurosurgery in Oldenburg to Focus magazine.
"We should not speculate here. Ultimately, we are talking about life and death. A coma can in theory be maintained for a lifetime. It won’t hurt the human brain."
Last week, investigators probing Schumacher's accident ruled out faulty skis, inadequate signage and excessive speed as possible causes of his life-threatening off-piste fall in the French Alps.
They said signs marking the edge of the piste Schumacher skied off just before the accident were in line with legal requirements, his rented skis were in perfect condition, and the Formula One legend had appeared in control of his speed.

Much has been said about a camera that Schumacher had strapped onto his helmet at the time of the accident, and investigators said they had been able to retrieve the footage and look at it.

The footage on the camera lasted only two minutes

A flight attendant had also claimed to have inadvertently caught Schumacher's fall on his smartphone while he filmed his girlfriend on the slopes, though investigators are still to see such vision and remain "doubtful" of the claim.

Schumacher appears to have skied on a partially covered rock, lost his balance and fallen on another rock further down. The impact was so strong it split his helmet in two.

The accident shocked Schumacher's legions of fans and devastated his wife Corinna and two teenage children.

Schumacher dominated Formula One before retiring in 2012, winning more titles than any other driver and enjoying 91 Grand Prix victories between 1994 and 2004.

[tom bhayya]

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