Michael Schumacher | From accident to secret, ten days of frenzy

But the moment the world learned the sad news, midday on a Sunday wedged between Christmas and New Year, a real frenzy set in in the region between Méribel, where the German was spending a peaceful vacation with friends, and the Grenoble University Hospital, where he was finally transported for surgery. Without forgetting Germany, where he is inevitably an icon, Italy, which he had a profound impact on by taking Ferrari to new heights, and even Brazil, the great land of Formula 1 and two of his ex-teammates at within the Scuderia, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa.

The world wanted to know, with as much precision as possible, how a man, untouchable during an entire career taunting the devil in hell’s machines, could have found himself between life and death in a beautiful winter landscape. . Very quickly, more than a hundred journalists went to the foot of the Grenoble University Hospital to collect some news, little by little. Before that, some of them tried to find out more about the circumstances of the accident, from the first aid teams or from the few witnesses present on site.

As if it were necessary to find a culprit, or a valid reason, each hypothesis became a subject of debate. Was “Schumi” going to help a loved one who had fallen further down? Was he skiing outside the marked areas? And besides, was the area properly marked? Was he wearing a helmet? Was he properly attached? How could it have broken in two during the accident? Was he carrying a handheld camera? Was it on at the time of the tragedy? Why was he transferred from Moûtiers to Grenoble? Did this worsen his health?

The family, busy with something else, and whose desire was to reduce, as quickly as possible, the media dimension surrounding this accident, did not take any action. The man was not the subject of legal proceedings. No more than many other individuals, journalists or not, who had the audacity to offer large sums of money to nurses and interns in an attempt to obtain scraps of information.

Faced with this media avalanche, and while the emergency parking lot was transformed into a television set for foreign media, the hospital did what it could to rationalize the event. While fans were already wondering about the ability of the “Red Baron” to regain his sporting abilities, the medical profession highlighted the scientific reality the following morning.

“The vital prognosis is engagedit was announced during a press conference organized with the deputy director of the CHU Marc Penaud, Professor Chabardes and Professor Payen, head of the anesthesia department. The pick-up in Moutiers corresponded to the usual procedure. […] The evolution of Michael Schumacher’s state of health is measured in hours, even minutes.”

A leaden screed was then placed above the CHU without, however, slowing down the frenzy. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said:totally upset” by this accident and the first Italian fans crossed the border to come and support, as best as possible, the former Scuderia driver. At the gates of the hospital, screening worthy of a small airport. In the parking lot, numerous artificial lights projected by cameras in the middle of the night.

The machine went into overdrive once again on the morning of Tuesday, December 31, when the hospital announced that Michael Schumacher had to undergo a second operation consisting of evacuating a hematoma placed in the left part of the brain to reduce intracranial pressure. All this noise almost made us forget the hundreds of other patients treated, sometimes for similar reasons, in this same hospital. Except for their loved ones.

“You consider this situation exceptional because it concerns Michael SchumacherProfessor Payen then had to insist. But I want to say to all the families of the other patients hospitalized in the department that they are treated in the same way and with the same therapeutic commitment as Mr. Schumacher.” And Sabine Kehm, manager of the world champion, added: “We do not plan to make statements just for the sake of principle.”

But as the German’s 45th birthday approached, on January 3, 2014, the surroundings of the Grenoble hospital center tended to fill up rather than become empty. The Scuderia fan clubs even organized the trip of 600 supporters to “provide support“. But since the information on the state of health, attention gradually turned to the investigation carried out by the gendarmes of Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Méribel, and the images recorded by the camera that Schumacher wore at the time of the accident.

On the internet, some people with bad intentions even took the opportunity to spread a virus by making Internet users believe that they were clicking on a video of the accident. Several German media claimed to have images from witnesses, and assured that the pilot’s family had been reluctant to provide the GoPro memory card to the authorities. “This is completely false“, Kehm had to respond in an SMS sent to different sources.

The announcement of a press conference by the prosecution further increased the agitation. This, despite the wishes of Corinna, Michael’s wife. “It is important to me that we spare the doctors and the hospital so that they can work in peace.she demands in a press release sent to the media. Please leave our family alone. Support us in our common fight. Leave the clinic.”

On Wednesday January 8, the Albertville court was invaded by a crowd of journalists who had come to listen to the statements of Patrick Quincy, public prosecutor, on the progress of the investigation. “The skis were not the cause of the accident and we cannot put a figure on its speed just before the events.he detailed. […] I don’t have anything in the proceedings that allows me to say that he helped someone..”