Schumacher was ‘skiing slowly' before accident
Michael Schumacher was skiing at no faster than 20 kilometres an hour when he had an accident at a French Alpine resort that has left him in a coma, a witness who captured the motor racing legend on video told a German magazine.
A 35-year-old airline steward who lives in Germany told Der Spiegel that he was filming his girlfriend with a smartphone at the Meribel ski area last Sunday when he captured Swiss resident Schumacher in the un-groomed area where he ran into a rock.
“He came slowly,” the man who was vacationing at the time told the publication.
“He was skiing at 20 kilometres an hour no more.”
The man said he made his video available to authorities and would be available to testify, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.
Schumacher, who owns an estate overlooking Lake Geneva in the town of Gland in the canton of Vauid, hit a rock while skiing at Meribel on December 29th in circumstances that remain unclear.
On Saturday, the Formula One great remained in critical condition in a Grenoble hospital, according to authorities, who said his condition had neither worsened nor improved.
AFP reported on Friday that authorities were examining a camera that was attached to Schumacher’s helmet as part of an investigation into what happened.
CHU, the university hospital of Grenoble, earlier stated that Schumacher was skiing at high speed in an off-piste area between a beginner’s slope and one for intermediate skiers.
But this information was contested by Sabine Kehm, a spokesman for Schumacher, who said he was not going fast because he had helped a friend who had just fallen in the off-piste area.
According to German newspaper Bild, the person helped was the daughter of one of Schumacher’s friends who fell in the zone between the two slopes.
The ski accident has sparked international media interest.
Hundreds of fans stood vigil outside the Grenoble hospital on Friday to mark the 45th birthday of the retired Ferrari driver who won more Formula One titles than any other racer in career from 1991 to 2012.
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A 35-year-old airline steward who lives in Germany told Der Spiegel that he was filming his girlfriend with a smartphone at the Meribel ski area last Sunday when he captured Swiss resident Schumacher in the un-groomed area where he ran into a rock.
“He came slowly,” the man who was vacationing at the time told the publication.
“He was skiing at 20 kilometres an hour no more.”
The man said he made his video available to authorities and would be available to testify, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.
Schumacher, who owns an estate overlooking Lake Geneva in the town of Gland in the canton of Vauid, hit a rock while skiing at Meribel on December 29th in circumstances that remain unclear.
On Saturday, the Formula One great remained in critical condition in a Grenoble hospital, according to authorities, who said his condition had neither worsened nor improved.
AFP reported on Friday that authorities were examining a camera that was attached to Schumacher’s helmet as part of an investigation into what happened.
CHU, the university hospital of Grenoble, earlier stated that Schumacher was skiing at high speed in an off-piste area between a beginner’s slope and one for intermediate skiers.
But this information was contested by Sabine Kehm, a spokesman for Schumacher, who said he was not going fast because he had helped a friend who had just fallen in the off-piste area.
According to German newspaper Bild, the person helped was the daughter of one of Schumacher’s friends who fell in the zone between the two slopes.
The ski accident has sparked international media interest.
Hundreds of fans stood vigil outside the Grenoble hospital on Friday to mark the 45th birthday of the retired Ferrari driver who won more Formula One titles than any other racer in career from 1991 to 2012.
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