FILE: Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher of Germany speeds down a course in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy in 2006.AP
FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 file photo, Mercedes Grand Prix driver Michael Schumacher of Germany, looks on ahead the Belgium Formula One Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps circuit , Belgium. French radio says retired Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has been injured in a skiing accident. RMC radio reported Sunday Dec. 29, 2013 that the seven-time champion had fallen while skiing off-piste at the French Alpine resort of Meribel. The radio quoted resort director Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte as saying that Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he fell and hit a rock.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)The Associated Press
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006 file photo provided by the Ferrari press office, Formula One driver Michael Schumacher of Germany speeds down a course in the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort, in the Italian Alps . French radio says retired Formula One champion Michael Schumacher has been injured in a skiing accident. RMC radio reported Sunday Dec. 29, 2013 that the seven-time champion had fallen while skiing off-piste at the French Alpine resort of Meribel. The radio quoted resort director Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte as saying that Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he fell and hit a rock. (AP Photo/Ferrari, File)The Associated Press
Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition after he suffered a head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps Sunday.
The hospital where he is being treated, The French Mountain Gendarmerie, said the 44-year-old arrived in a coma and underwent brain surgery after sustaining a serious head trauma.
The hospital said Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he had a hard fall at the Meribel resort. In a statement, the resort said Schumacher was conscious when rescuers arrived on the scene.
Additionally, orthopedic and trauma surgeon Gerard Saillant had traveled from Paris to the Grenoble hospital to examine Schumacher. German news agency dpa said it was Saillant who operated on Schumacher when he broke his leg during a crash at the Silverstone race course in 1999.
In an email to The Associated Press, Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm said the retired driver was on a private skiing trip and "fell on his head."
"We ask for understanding that we cannot give running updates on his condition. He wore a helmet and was not alone," Kehm said. Schumacher's 14-year-old son was skiing with his father when the accident happened, the resort said.
In addition to the crash at Silverstone, Schumacher was hurt seriously in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 in Spain when he suffered neck and spine injuries. He recovered sufficiently from those injuries to make a comeback in F1.
Schumacher retired in 2006 after winning five straight titles with Ferrari following two earlier ones with Benetton. He came back to the sport in 2010 and drove for three seasons for Mercedes without much success before retiring again last year. The Associated Press contributed to this report
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