It was exactly ten years ago to the day, when Formula One legend Michael Schumacher suffered a horrifying accident that changed the lives of him and his loved ones forever. On December 29, 2013, tragedy struck Schumacher while skiing with his then 14-year-old son Mick in the French Alpine ski resort of Meribel. (Formula One News)
What Happened To Him
Schumacher's skis struck a rock that was partly hidden under the snow and he fell head-first on to a boulder. Such was the impact that the Formula One champion's helmet was split in two and he was left in coma for as many as 250 days. The speed king was then 44 years old and had just retired from F1.
What's His Condition Now
In the decade since, Schumacher has been away from the public eye, with his family providing occasional updates. The accident reportedly left Schumacher paralysed and wheelchair-bound. In 2021, after the release of a Netflix documentary about his life, Schumacher's wife Corinna had said that Michael is "different, but he's here". "He still shows me how strong he is every day. We're trying to carry on as a family," Corinna had said.
Latest Update
The latest update on the F1 legend has come from his brother Ralf Schumacher who, while speaking to German magazine Bild, spoke about the impact of the accident, their childhood bond and how he learned from his brother.
"I can say that his accident was a very bad and drastic experience for me but, of course, even more so for his children. Mick, as we all know, was there as a young teenager back then. Unfortunately, life isn't always fair and unfortunately there was a lot of bad luck here too," said the 48-year-old Ralf.
"Michael is not only my brother, when he were kids he was also my coach and mentor. He taught me everything about karting. There may be an age gap of seven years, but he was always by my side. We raced together, we practised overtaking manoeuvres and everything that matters in motorsports," Ralf added.
"He shared all that he learned in seven years. I had the honour to learn from the best," he said.
