Michael Schumacher remains critical, but stable as investigators probe helmet camera
The world’s most successful Formula One champion Michael Schumacher remains in a critical, but stable condition, his spokeswoman said Saturday as investigators seek to answer a slew of questions about last weekend’s accident by examining a camera from his busted helmet.
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Spokeswoman Sabine Kehm also denied some reports that his family tried to withhold the camera from authorities because of privacy reasons.
"Michael's helmet camera was voluntarily given to the investigating authorities by the family," Kehm said in a statement. "That this should have been done against the wishes of the family is untrue."
Schumacher slammed his head into a rock while skiing with a small group of friends and his 14-year old son Mick last Sunday in the French Alps.
The collision split his helmet in two.
On late Friday, news emerged that there was a miniature GoPro camera mounted onto the helmet, but it’s not known whether it filmed his descent or if the images remain intact after the collision.
The camera has a 170-degree wide angle that can also take shots of the user’s body and face depending on the angle.
A German eyewitness also said that he inadvertently caught the accident on his smartphone as he was filming his girlfriend on the slopes.
The witness said he was skiing at a "leisurely" pace to Der Spiegel, and added that he will hand over the footage to French investigators.
Schumacher remained in a medically induced coma as fans gathered in front of the Grenoble hospital to hold a silent vigil marking his 45th birthday yesterday.
The camera could provide information on how fast the seven-time world racing legend was skiing, in addition to the smart phone footage.
Investigators are also looking into whether the limits of the pistes next to the accident site were correctly marked, and whether the safety releases on his skis worked properly.
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