Prosecutor says speeding wasn’t a factor, details 2-minute footage

Jan 9, 2014 11:21 GMT  ·  By
Michael Schumacher is still in critical condition after late December skiing accident
   Michael Schumacher is still in critical condition after late December skiing accident

Former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher is still in hospital, in an induced coma, recovering from head surgery after the skiing accident that took place in late December. Investigators have viewed footage shot on his head camera, which offers insight into the terrible accident.

As the Yahoo! video report embedded below can confirm, the 2-minute footage makes it clear that speed was not a factor in the accident. However, it offers no clue as to why Schumacher, an experienced skier, would stray off piste into an area of which he couldn’t have known that it had rocks underneath the snow.

In the 2-minute video, which has not been released to the public because it’s part of an ongoing investigation (and never will see the light of day, most likely), it can be seen clearly that Schumacher tripped on a rock and hit his head on another.

“He was skiing between three and six meters [10 and 20 feet] away from the regular ski trail,” Albertville prosecutor Patrick Quincy said during a news conference held at the Palace of Justice in the 1992 Winter Olympics host city, as the video shows.

“At one point, his skis struck the top of a rock slightly visible above the snow. He loses his balance and his body falls ahead of the rock,” Quincy added.

“His head hits a rock located approximately 3.5 meters [11.5 feet] below. The first rock and the second one that he hit with his head are eight meters [26 feet] away from the border of the ski trail,” the prosecutor continued.

So far, doctors have been reserved in making any comments regarding Schumacher’s condition or prognosis.

When he was rushed to the hospital after the fall, he was reportedly conscious. Shortly afterwards, doctors had to operate on him to relieve intracranial pressure caused by brain hemorrhage.

His wife has asked the media to stop speculating on his condition and just let the doctors do their job.