Fans hold a Ferrari flag in front of the Grenoble University Hospital
Centre in the French Alps on December 31, 2013, where retired seven-time
German Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher remains in
critical condition after an off-piste skiing accident. PHOTO | PHILIPPE
DESMAZES
AFP
Formula One legend Michael Schumacher
remained "stable" Wednesday after spending a third night in hospital
with severe brain injuries sustained while skiing in the French Alps.
The
German racing great entered the new year in an induced coma and a
critical condition, with his family at his bedside in the French Alpine
city of Grenoble and doctors unsure of his future.
The
44-year-old's fight for survival after he fell and slammed his head on a
rock while off-piste skiing on Sunday has shocked legions of sports
stars and fans used to seeing him brave death on the racing tracks.
"At
the moment, he is stable," the seven-time world champion's manager
Sabine Kehm told reporters massed outside the hospital in Grenoble on
Wednesday, in a brief update before heading back inside.
Initially
described as serious but not life-threatening after the accident in the
upmarket resort of Meribel, Schumacher's condition rapidly deteriorated
and by Sunday evening, doctors said he was in critical condition and
had undergone an emergency operation. (READ: Schumacher 'slightly improved' after second operation)
On
Tuesday, they said a slight improvement in his condition had allowed
them to perform a second nearly two-hour long procedure to remove
bleeding in the brain, but warned he was "not out of danger" yet.
"We
cannot speculate on the future," said Jean-Francois Payen, head of the
intensive care unit at the hospital. "We cannot say he is out of danger
but we have gained some time."
Doctors have so far ruled out any transfer from the hospital, which they say would be "dangerous".
But they have pointed out that Schumacher, due to turn 45 on January 3, has age and physical fitness on his side.
He
has been put in a medically induced coma to spur recovery. His
temperature has also been reduced to around 35 degrees Celsius to reduce
swelling.
By being unconscious, the brain is also
switched off to sounds, light and other triggers that cause the organ to
use up oxygen as it processes the stimuli.
HELMET SMASHED 'IN TWO'
It
is as yet unclear exactly how the accident happened, but a source close
to a probe into the incident told AFP that Schumacher's helmet, which
medics say saved his life, had been smashed "in two" by the impact.
Kehm told journalists Tuesday that Schumacher was skiing "with a small group of friends" as well as his 14-year-old son Mick.
She
said he was not skiing at high speed when the accident happened. "He
seems to have hit a rock as he took a turn. It was a chain of
unfortunate circumstances."
Kehm added that the
accident could have happened even "at 10 kilometres (six miles) per
hour" and took place during "a normal turning manoeuvre".
Schumacher's
condition has attracted attention from around the world and several
people have tried to sneak through the hospital and approach the former
racer, she said.
"There apparently was a person dressed
up as a priest, who tried to get near Michael. I am asking everyone to
let the doctors work and leave the family to spend peaceful time with
Michael."
Asked whether the priest was a journalist,
she said: "It's what I was told... We have clearly noted that people are
trying to get beyond the press room here in the clinic. It's revolting,
in my opinion."
Schumacher, who won the last of his
world titles in 2004, towered over the sport since his debut in 1991,
winning more Formula One world titles and races than any other. He had a
record 91 wins and is one of only two men to race in 300 grands prix.
His
duels in his heyday with Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, fired by an
unquenchable competitive spirit, have gone down in Formula One lore.
Born in January 1969 near Cologne, Germany, his father ran a local go-kart track where his mother worked in the canteen.
By
1987, Schumacher was the German and European go-kart champion and was
soon racing professionally. In 1991 he burst into Formula One by
qualifying seventh in his debut race in Belgium and a year later, he won
his first Formula One grand prix.
He joined Ferrari in
1996 and went from strength to strength over the next decade,
dominating the podium, before retiring aged 37.
But he
could not resist the lure of the track and in 2010 he came out of
retirement, signing a deal with Mercedes before quitting for good in
2012.
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