Michael Schumacher In Coma After Ski Accident
Ferrari Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Germany skiing during his team's winter retreat in the Dolomite resort of Madonna Di Campiglio. Reuters

Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher suffered a devastating back-country skiing accident in France on Sunday when he had fallen and struck his head against a rock. Michael Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma following brain surgery at a hospital of Grenoble, France.

"We cannot predict the future for Michael Schumacher," chief anesthesiologist Jean-Francois Payen told reporters Monday, according to The Associated Press. "He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation. ... We are working hour by hour."

Michael Schumacher's incident is a sobering example of how quickly and unpredictably the winter sport can go wrong. According to CNN, Michael Schumacher, 44, fell and struck his head when he was skiing at the Meribel resort. Schumacher was regarded as a very strong skier and was wearing a helmet when he was skiing. First responders were able to reach Schumacher within minutes. A helicopter was also dispatched to airlift him to a nearby hospital. According to Grenoble hospital doctors, Schumacher would not have made it to the hospital if he had not worn a helmet.

Neurosurgeon Munchi Choksey spoke with the Mirror to shed more light on the extent of Michael Schumacher's injuries. According to Choksey, who practices at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire, the most vital priority following Schumacher's head injury is controlling any bleeding in or around the brain.

“The treatment depends very much on the nature of the bleeding and the particular compartment it has occurred in," Munchi Choksey said. “You can have bleeding inside the brain itself, which tends to be present from the time of the injury. Usually the patient is unlikely to be conscious.

"That’s called a primary brain injury. Then there’s bleeding in the membranes that surround the brain and the patient is not likely to be conscious. Then you have bleeding in the subdural space immediately outside the brain but inside a very tough membrane. That is associated with a primary brain injury, so again not usually associated with consciousness.

"Finally you can get the dreaded extradural hemorrhage, which tragically killed the actress Natasha Richardson on the ski slope. The blood accumulates between the membrane that surrounds the brain and the skull." Choksey said. "The hematoma expands so the pressure builds up inside the head, the brain loses blood supply and death can be quite rapid.

“That’s the classic lucid interval - where the patient has the injury, might be knocked out briefly, wakes up talks and then dies if they are not treated properly. It’s also possible Schumacher could have secondary brain swelling, which can be compatible with somebody talking afterwards,” Choksey explained.

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was a phenomenal ambassador of the sport when his F1 racing career brought an era of dominance for the legendary Scuderia Ferrari. Not only are his number of titles significantly greater than any racing driver in the history of Formula 1, but Schumacher has dominated nearly every scoring record in the book.