Racing legend Michael Schumacher remained in a coma Monday morning after undergoing emergency brain surgery following a skiing accident on Sunday.
Schumacher suffered serious head trauma while skiing with his 14-year-old son in the French Alps. He underwent surgery at the Grenoble University Hospital Center, and the hospital’s chief anesthesiologist, Jean-Francois Payen, told reporters Monday that the former driver was “fighting for his life.”
Payen also confirmed that Schumacher was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
“We judge him to be in a very serious situation,” Payen said, via ESPN.com, according to a BBC translation. “We cannot tell what the outcome will be yet. We are working hour by hour, but it’s too early to say what is going to happen and to have a prognosis.
“We think his helmet did help. Without a helmet, he wouldn’t be here now.”
Schumacher, 44, is considered one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. He won seven F1 championships, including five straight from 2000 to 2004, before retiring from the sport in 2012.
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