The horrific details
emerged as it was announced French investigators have ruled out any criminal
wrongdoing in the freak accident
French prosecutors have ruled out any form
of criminal action against the ski resort where F1 hero Michael Schumacher
smashed his head on a rock putting him into a life-threatening coma.
The seven-times world champion was
catapulted over 34 feet when he hit one rock and then smashed his head on a
second on the alpine slopes in the French ski resort of Meribel seven weeks
ago.
The horrific details emerged as it was
announced French investigators have ruled out any criminal wrongdoing in the
freak accident.
Prosecutor Patrick Quincy, in charge of
the inquiry, ruled “no infraction by anyone has been turned up”.
He cleared the resort of any wrongdoing as
he closed the investigation.
M. Quincy said the accident occurred just
over 14 feet from the edge of the ski run in an off-piste area and the resort
had conformed to the French standards for marking ski runs.
He said: “No one was found to have
committed any offence. The accident occurred in an off-piste area. The signage,
marking, and, marker poles in the snow and information provided about the edge
of this slope were all consistent with French standards in place.”
He said the rock that caused him to lose
balance and the rock on which he struck his head “are 10.40 metres from each
other and both are located at 4.50 metres from the boundary of the piste”.
But his decision does not prevent
Schumacher’s family from taking civil action.
Schumacher, 45, suffered his
life-threatening accident while skiing with his 14-year-old son Mark at the
resort where he owns a chalet.
He remains in intensive care as doctors
try to ease him out of an artificially-induced coma.
An investigation into the crash was
launched immediately, in normal practice for accidents of such gravity.
It was conducted by mountain police in
Bourg-Saint-Maurice who examined the terrain and the signs on the ski runs, as
well as gendarmes in Meribel and Albertville.
Experts from ENSA, the ski and climbing
academy in the French ski resort of Chamonix, performed tests on his equipment
including his skis, bindings, ski boots and a piece of his helmet.
Tests were also conducted to see if the
presence of his camera on his helmet had weakened the structure causing it to
shatter so dramatically.
But his equipment was not found to be
faulty in any way.
Schumacher had been skiing on the piste
with his son and family friends.
But shortly after 11am he “deliberately”
skied on to a patch of off-piste located in between two runs “with a number of
dangers, notable rocks”, said investigators.
It was then he struck a partially-covered
rock. Although not skiing fast, he lost control and catapulted on to another
rock.
Lawyers had argued that managers of the
ski resort might face up to three years in prison because the dangers lurking
within the off-piste section were not properly marked.
But, presenting initial findings 10 days
into the investigation, police chief Stephane Bozon said: “The piste markers
conformed to the regulations.
“Unfortunately this off-piste area had a
number of dangers, notably the rocks being only barely visible, covered with
five to 10 cm of snow because of the poor snow.”
Quincy, a former policeman who has been
the prosecutor at Albertville since 2009, added that all safety procedures by
mountain authorities “had been respected”.
The resort hired a top lawyer, Maurice
Bodecher, who is a specialist in ski and criminal law. Up until 2010 he was the
head lawyer for the French Ski Federation.
The footage from Schumacher’s helmet
camera, which includes audio, was minutely analysed by N-Tec, a research
division within the police at Albertville that specializes in new technology.
The seven-time world champion is receiving
round-the-clock care in intensive case in Grenoble University Hospital.
Wife Corinna, 44, with whom the champion
also has a daughter, Gina Marie, 16, has remained at his bedside.
His family issued a statement last week
saying that they “strongly believe” he will recover. But they admitted he was
“still in a waking-up process”.
The family said the most important element
of his recovery was not the speed but that it progressed in a “continuous and
controlled way”.
The update came in the wake of reports
that Schumacher had contracted pneumonia.
The statement said: “Michael’s family
would like to again express their sincere thanks for the continuous sympathy
coming from all over the world. The good wishes they receive help the family
and we are convinced they also help Michael, who still is in a waking up
process.
“As often in such situation, no day is
like the next. The family is thankful for ones understanding that they would
not wish to disclose medical details in order to protect Michael’s privacy.
“As assured from the beginning we will
continue to communicate any decisive new information on Michael’s health state.
We are aware that the wake up phase can take a long time.
“The family continues to strongly believe
in Michael’s recovery and place all their trust in the doctors, nurses and
nursing auxiliaries team.
“The important thing is not the speed of
the recovery but that Michael’s healing process progresses in a continuous and
controlled way.”
Schumacher receives food through a tube to
his stomach, oxygen via a hose from a machine next to his bed as he still
cannot breathe independently. Three times daily his joints and muscles are
massaged to prevent atrophy and bed sores.
The coma suppressed his swallowing reflex,
pain perception and his respiratory drive. He has to be acutely monitored
around the clock during this wake-up phase to see if such things are returning
naturally - if at all.
His blood is also thinned to prevent
thrombosis and he is regularly turned and even stood straight up at times to
keep blood flowing. He lies on a special air-filled mattress to prevent
pressure sores and his urinary tract is under constant vigilance because of the
danger of waste bacteria entering the bloodstream and causing another
potentially fatal infection.
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