Schumacher: the update on the judicial investigation

A press conference was organized this morning by Patrick Quincy, public prosecutor of Albertville, to provide an update on the judicial investigation following Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident that occurred on December 29th in the winter sports resort of Méribel.

First and foremost, Patrick Quincy insisted on confirming that the German driver was indeed off-piste: « He follows the red trail on the left edge, crosses the markers, and is therefore off-piste. He was moving between 3 and 6 meters from the trail. »

The circumstances of the accident became clearer throughout the investigation, notably thanks to the video filmed by a camera mounted on the world champion’s helmet: “This film is perfectly readable and provides us with a lot of elements,” stated the prosecutor before adding: “At one point, his skis hit a rock. He loses balance and falls forward. He hits his head on a rock located about 3.5m below. The rock is eight meters from the edge of the slope. Mr. Schumacher is unconscious, and his body is located nine meters from the edge of the slope.”

The question of Michael Schumacher’s speed was raised and Stéphane Bozon, the gendarmerie commander in charge of the investigation, stated: We cannot estimate the speed [at the moment]. But it is that of a good skier on a gentle slope that did not allow curves to reduce speed. Based on the GoPro footage, Michael Schumacher seemed to be going at a perfectly normal pace on this type of terrain for an experienced skier.

The authorities took the opportunity to state that they had not yet seen the video that was reportedly filmed by an amateur videographer with his phone on one of the adjacent slopes and allegedly shows a fall at a relatively low speed (information relayed since the end of last week by the German newspaper Der Spiegel). Another unconfirmed piece of information at the moment: Prosecutor Quincy indicated that the images from the camera on Schumacher’s helmet do not allow for the assertion that he was trying to help someone at the time of his fall.

Regarding a possible failure in the marking of the slopes, the prosecutor seems to clear the responsibility of the station: « According to our findings, the standards are respected. » It also does not seem that the equipment used by Michael Schumacher was the cause of his fall. Nevertheless, these elements will need to be determined more precisely once the investigation is completed, and the prosecutor’s opinion is, at this stage, not decisive regarding the final results of the investigation.

The German is still in a coma after two neurosurgical operations. Relatives of the driver have reportedly provided information in the past few hours about a slight improvement in his condition, information that should be taken with caution more than ever in the absence of a new update from the Grenoble University Hospital.

More information to come…