I hope Schumacher makes it

ditto!

Same here. Not sure whether it was wise to take his 14yr old son off piste though. Poor lad must be very shocked.

Terrible accident. Wishing the family all the very best.

My nephew is quite upset as Michael Schumacher was his F1 favourite and he got to know him over the course of a few years. His 9 year old son bears his name, he's so fond of him. The neurosurgeon talked of diffuse brain injuries, which sounds catastrophic. Sounds like his survival chances are slim. What an awful shame.

Just been watching the news and was shocked to hear the prognosis is not too good. It is so sad, and a sobering thought that life can change in the blink of an eye.

Terrible news. I am a big F1 fan and always admired MS. To think of the dangers he faced during his career and then something like this happens. I can understand someone like him going off piste for the challenge and adrenalin rush.

So very sad when anyone has such a dreadful accident but doubly sad in the case of a young, strong man with so much going for him. In all the reports nobody has mentioned the poor kid who was there when it happened. So traumatic for him.

It does seem bizarre to have survived a career as dangerous as F1 but face death from a ski-ing accident. I'm not a fan but wish him well. No one deserves to have their life cut short under any circumstances.

Yes. Must have been awful for his son. Poor boy.

Look what happened to Mike Hailwood; raced motorcycles for years and lost his life in a car crash a couple of miles from his house [was driving to the chip shop I think]. I do sometimes question why people go off piste but I suppose if you're an experienced skier the other slopes are boring. Seem to remember Schumaker saving someones life who would have drowned a few years ago. Was so physically strong that he would have survived most things that were thrown at him but not head injuries. Isn't there talk of some sort of equipment failure that caused the accident?

I bet he was going at quite a rate. Would be in his nature.

"Extreme" forms of sport are becoming ever more popular it seems, such as off piste skiing for one. There was the Dutch prince 2 years ago who has since died, and at least one British teenager quite recently.That said, didn't Natasha Richardson die as a result of a very simple and apparently harmless fall backwards ? It's a dangerous business at just about any level and one just has to take precautions - whether by always observing local conditions or using the correct safety equipment.

I hope he survives, but even if he does he will almost definitely be left severely brain damaged. Death can be preferable.

Sorry to be so gloomy but 22 years ago my sister sustained a similar injury when she was knocked off her bike and hit her head on the curb. Initially lucid, some confusion and agitation, unconsciousness rushed to nearby hospital then to a major neurological unit, operated on, in a coma. In her case another operation. They explained to my parents that even if she survived she would be severely brain damaged. My mother said she never thought she would pray for the death of one of her children, but she did, because when she thought of what she would suffer if she survived, death seemed the kindest choice.

Sorry

When the accident was first reported Natasha Richardson flashed across my mind, but at that point it didn't seem too serious. The way he has deteriorated does sound ominous but as Eddie Jordan said " If you were in this situation you'd want to be Michael Schumacher"

Many of the messages wishing Schumacher well from various celebrities and people who feel they should be seen to make a comment put my teeth on edge. They were all so upbeat and read as if they had been written by publicists for someone who had just had a bad accident and broken some bones. His strength, determination etc etc, however admirable these attributes will play no part in his survival, or not. They may help, if he survives, as he struggles to regain mental acuity. If he survives, and that is still questionable, he will have very severe brain injuries and these may be life long.

His best hope is that medical treatment started so quickly and that he has the world class neurologists on hand. The comparisons with Natasha Richardson are apposite but his injury is worse. His period of consciousness was very short and it is reported that he was bleeding immediately after the accident.

My thoughts are all with his family, I know what they are going through.

If I ever have a brain damaging accident like that, I want to die straight away. With that in mind, I think it might be better if he dies. My youngest brother had a devastating accident and was in a coma for over three weeks. Like flickety, I know what Schumacher's family are going through and feel for them.

I'm not sure I agree with Flickety there. Who knows how the brain works in a struggle for life? Maybe an inborn and well rehearsed 'striving to overcome the odds' will help.

keep it up Shumacher

Hmm. Sounds as if it's surgery that has caused the "slight improvement" (from nearly dead?), not Schumacher's body doing some injury fighting. His poor family.

FlicketyB I also find the 'celebrity wishes' grating. It seems self-publicising, especially e.g. on Twitter.

I think it's genuine. F1 racing is well respected.

My cousin was in an induced coma for 3 weeks after brain injury in a road traffic accident. His family were advised to turn off the life support, as he'd be a 'vegetable' (the exact medical definition, in Australia) if he survived. He survived, had fantastic support from the health service in Oz, learned to walk, talk etc all over again. He was left with (well controlled)epilepsy, sightly impaired speech and short term memory problems. But, he built a very good life with his then girlfriend, they married and had children. He was the stay home parent, whilst his wife worked. His injury was serious, he was left with a plate in his head, and a noticeable deep crater shaped hole on the front of his skull onto his forehead. So, maybe there is hope for Schumacher, though I agree, it does sound very serious.

News of a slight improvement

www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24191/9095135/doctors-say-michael-schumacher-showing-slight-improvement

It is not that celebrities tweet, everything I have read shows that Schumacher was widely liked and respected. It is the content of their tweets, all wishing him well and being sure he will recover. The man has severe concussion, concussion so severe it is likely to kill him. Even if he survives he will probably be severely brain damaged. Chirpy tweets (sorry the adjective was unintentional). are inappropriate. At the moment it is the family that should dominate our thoughts, two teenagers and their mother sitting by the bed of a much loved father, knowing how bad things could be, not knowing which is the best outcome, life or death, knowing their lives will never be the same and just hoping and hoping.