Cliff JudyIn their latest update on Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, French doctors can't say for sure whether he'll survive a weekend skiing accident.
Schumacher was skiing at a resort in the French Alps with his son Sunday when, reports say, he fell and hit his head against a rock. (Via New York Daily News)
Doctors gave an update Monday morning saying the 44-year-old retired racer is in a medically induced coma, and they can't say what will happen as they deal with severe swelling to his brain. (Via RT, Sky News)
"And we can say that he is fighting for his life ... We judge him to be in a very serious condition. We cannot tell you what the outcome can be yet." (Via BBC)
That doctor, Jean-Francois Payen, went on to say Schumacher's helmet saved him to this point. He was skiing off-piste, which means away from officially marked trails.
"To be honest, the majority of the skiers in that region come to the region to ski off-piste, and even though skiers do so at their own risk, there's no law banning people from going off-piste." (Via CNN)
Schumacher is by far the most successful driver in Formula One history with seven drivers' championships and 91 race wins. He came out of a four-year retirement in 2010 to race for Mercedes. (Via Euronews)
This isn't the first serious injury Schumacher suffered through a fast-paced lifestyle.
Schumacher was supposed to come out of F1 retirement to fill in for another driver in 2009, but he crashed at 135 miles an hour testing for a motorcycle racing team. (Via World Car Fans)
The racing community reacted quickly. British F1 champion Jenson Button and IndyCar series champ Dario Franchitti wrote virtually the same thing. (Via Twitter / @Jenson Button, Twitter / @dariofranchitti)
Button tweeted, "Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this."
Media in France report Schumacher's wife and children were by his side through the weekend.
