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<\/p>\nMichael Schumacher was reportedly conscious and speaking' shortly after the devastating skiing crash which almost claimed his life. <\/p>\n
It is almost 10 years since the F1 icon suffered life-changing injuries when he hit his head on a rock during an accident in the French Alps. Schumacher was placed into a medically induced coma for weeks and was unable to leave hospital for months.<\/p>\n
For most of the last decade, he has been cared for at his family home in Switzerland. The Ferrari legend was taken completely out of the public eye to preserve his and his family\u2019s privacy and very little is known about his condition.<\/p>\n
It is believed that Schumacher was conscious and talking immediately after the accident before the appalling effects of his injuries began to take hold, according to resort managers at the time. <\/p>\n
According to Gary Hartstein, a former F1 trackside doctor, it is common for the victims of such trauma to remain lucid for a period.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Michael Schumacher health latest – rare footage, \u2018wish to disappear\u2019 and \u2018hope\u2019 ruled out<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIt's quite well known that extradural haematomas, a kind of cerebral haemorrhage, can leave a lucid interval after injury,\u201d he told Sky News at the time. \u201cThen as the haematoma forms, the increase in pressure causes sudden and dramatic symptoms. Pressure must be relieved rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n
A rare update was issued this week via respected journalist and friend of the Schumacher family, Roger Benoit, who regularly smoked cigars with the seven-time world champion after races and was even gifted Schumacher\u2019s yellow Benetton overalls in which he secured his maiden F1 win at Spa in 1992.<\/p>\n
What's your favourite Michael Schumacher moment? Tell us in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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Benoit was asked by Blick if he could provide an update on his friend, but the 74-year-old could only give a heartbreaking answer.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cNo. There is only one answer to this question and that is what his son Mick gave in one of his rare interviews in 2022: \u2018I would give anything to talk to dad\u2019. <\/p>\n
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\u201cThis sentence says everything about how his father has been doing for over 3,500 days. A case without hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benoit was referring to an insight from Schumacher's racing son Mick, who said in an episode of the Netflix show Drive To Survive: "I think dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way. Simply because we speak a similar language \u2013 the language of motorsport.\u201d<\/p>\n