Michael Schumacher’s accident turns 10 years old and brother says: ‘Tragic’

The accident on a ski slope that sidelined the former Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher of public life has just completed 10 years this Thursday, December 29th. Since the accident happened in 2013, the former athlete has lived in seclusion and little is known about his real health status. Now, his brother, F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, has recalled the tragedy that changed the lives of the entire family.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Ralf said that Michael will never go back to what he was before and that his recovery will not be complete. He said that, despite advances in technology, their routine is not the same.

“I miss my Michael from back then. Life is sometimes unfair. Michael has been lucky many times in his life, but then this tragic accident happened. Fortunately, modern medical options have allowed us to do some things, but nothing is the same as it was before.”he stated.

Then, he added about the change that the accident caused in the family. “It changed our family. I can say that the accident was a very bad and drastic experience for me too. But of course, even more so for his children”, he stated.

However, Ralf followed the guidance of everyone in his family and close friends and did not reveal details about Michael Schumacher’s current health condition. Many years ago, the family decided to keep the athlete’s recovery confidential and did not leak any information about how he was doing.

What happened to Michael Schumacher?

Michael Schumacher’s accident happened in December 2013, when he fell on a ski slope. At the time, he had just retired from F1. The athlete was placed in a medically induced coma and remained in that state for several months. After a long hospital stay, he was transferred to his home to be cared for alongside his family. The last statement about his health was issued in 2014, in which the family reported that he came out of the coma, but was still unable to communicate or walk.

Why does the family maintain secrecy to this day?

Michael Schumacher’s family has revealed very little about his health to date. As a result, the family lawyer, Felix Damm revealed why we know so little about the former pilot’s health.

In an interview with the German newspaper LTO, he told the reason why the family does not publish periodic reports on the athlete’s recovery. He said the family made the decision to avoid media curiosity. “It has always been about protecting private matters. Of course we discussed a lot about how this would be possible. So we also considered whether a final report on Michael’s health might be the right way forward, but that would not be enough and there would have to be constantly updated ‘every detail reports’.”he said.

And he continued: “Because as people affected, it’s not up to you to shut down the media. They could go back to this report again and again and ask, ‘What’s it like now?’ And if we then wanted to take action against this, we would have to deal with the voluntary self-disclosure argument”.

Finally, he said that the family does not intend to reveal new information about his health condition. “I believe the vast majority of fans can handle this well and also respect the fact that the accident triggered a process where private shelter is necessary and will now continue to be observed“, said.