First responsive: The Moment that changed for Schumacher, everything

Exactly five years ago, Michael Schumacher slammed into a ski resort in France, with the head against a rock, a few metres off the official Piste. A rescue helicopter brought him down with a skull-brain Trauma in the hospital. FOCUS Online is reminiscent of the day that changed his life.

It is Sunday, the 29. December 2013. 8:13 p.m., the sun comes up in the small town of Méribel in the French Alps. Slowly she crawls over the top of the mountain, the fresh powder snow glittering. Overnight it has snowed. The top of the mountains twenty centimeters of new snow. Below a white layer of snow covered the flat roof of the Chalets, in which Michael Schumacher and his family the Christmas days spent.

Here to Les Trois Vallées Schumacher travels for several years with his wife Corinna, and children Mick and Gina-Maria. There, you also want to celebrate new year’s eve and new year’s, and Michael’s 45. Birthday on the 3. January.

It is the largest ski area in the world. Around 6.5 million people curves every year down the slopes. However, Schumacher will find his or her retreat. Because the house in which he wakes up this Morning, is five minutes by car from the Looks of the few neighbours we have – in absolute peace.

Schumacher breaks with friends and son for skiing

As Michael Schumacher comes into force after the Breakfast from the house, it is still cloudy and hazy. The Thermometer shows a few degrees above Zero. Later on the mountain the sky will be bright blue. Schumacher is already broken countless times from here to the ski resort and countless times in the past driven him on the day of the fatal.

A ten-minute drive with the Lift takes him up to the top of the mountain Saulire at 2738 altitude meters. Schumacher is an experienced skier. During his time as a formula 1 driver, he spends traditionally, each year a week with his Ferrari team-mate on the track, driving there in a bright red ski suit down the hill instead of turning in the red race suit on the track of his rounds. In the meantime, he is driving only with family and friends. 29. December accompanied him, including his son Mick. He is 14 years old.

Schumacher is not only a good skier, he is also well equipped. Of his boots he lend strapped-on skis that are in very good condition, his head, he protects it with a helmet. The later will burst, but save the life.

Helmet camera films the crash

At 11 a.m. Schumacher is on the slopes, The Chamois slope, is characterized as medium. The vision is clear. The left and right noise other riders past him, pulling their tracks through the snow. As he and Mick. Above their heads small gondolas up swings slowly up the mountain, round the mountain panorama.

His helmet Schumacher has a "GoPro" attached. With the action camera, he wants to film his departure, to watch with the family. About two minutes before his fatal fall, he presses the record button. But it’s not coming. Instead, look at the Prosecutor’s office days later, the Video will be able to reconstruct with the help of image material, the last seconds before his accident. dpa The Piste in Meribel: accident Schumacher

Schumi rebounds with head against a rock

Why Schumacher is leaving on this day, the marked section, and in the debris field between the Chamois ski run and the Biche Piste device, you’ll maybe never. The accident site is located eight meters from the official route. It is a rather flat area.

Schumacher’s Manager later said that he had braked and fallen friend rising olfen. Other sources claim that he had helped a child. The Prosecutor’s office confirmed the. What is certain is that Schumacher, he scars over a stone that lies under the fresh blanket of Snow hidden. Perhaps, as he wants to apply to continue.

In the Morning, the winter sports fans to revel in Les Trois Vallées, even over the fresh snow. Because in this season it has only snowed a little. However, the new layer of snow is dangerous. It is not deep enough, the dangerous rocks among themselves buried, lurking between the two slopes. But just deep enough to make them disappear. Schumacher can’t see the stone, but also not simply to ignore this drive.

He loses the balance, is thrown to 3.5 meters through the air. With the right skull side, he bounces to a second boulder, which is a 10,4 metres away. What will Express the Prosecutor’s office later in these bare Figures must have been for the former formula-1 driver, the worst Moment in his life: when, suddenly, the ground under the feet is missing, the world is turning on its head, the control over the own body is lost.

His helmet was broken in the fall. Schumacher suffered a serious skull-brain Trauma.

Accident off-Piste complicates the rescue

His companion select the emergency call. Mountain and Central station are not far away, a few minutes later the mountain rescue a meeting. You can find Schumacher half-sitting, half-standing. He is conscious, makes agitated Gestures, is responsive, but confused.

The paramedics call the mountain gendarmerie of Savoy to help. Because the initial supply is off Piste in the deep snow difficult. Also, you will not be able to transport Schumacher careful enough from the scene of the accident, urgently need a helicopter.

Immediately, a helicopter can fly, is a blessing in disguise. Because during the season, several operations take place simultaneously, sometimes all the helicopters of the mountain gendarmerie of Savoy, on the road, because they are for several ski resorts charge.

Helicopter takes Schumacher to the hospital

As the rescue helicopter landed in a dense cloud of kicked-up snow to the accident, have marked the first responders to the site with crossed skis. At 11: 30 a.m., he stands again to bring Schumacher into the 13 kilometres away, the hospital in Moûtiers. Schumacher collapses during the flight. The helicopter must make an emergency landing, so he can be ventilated.

In Moûtiers, the Doctors try to stabilize him. There, the decision is: Schumacher must be brought 71 kilometres further to Grenoble. The clinic is France’s largest and most modern trauma centre and head injuries specialized. At 12.45 PM, Schumacher will be there. He is in surgery two Times, immediately after its posting and on the next day. The Doctors can reduce the internal pressure of the skull, remove a two-hour procedure a bruise in the left brain side. But Schumacher hovers more in danger of their lives.

Since September 2014, Schumacher is in Glandt – his home of choice

His birthday he spends as planned with his family in the snow-covered Chalet on the mountain slope, but in a hospital room on the fifth floor of the neurological intensive care unit in Grenoble in an artificial coma. There, he spends also the birthday of daughter Gina-Maria, the wife, Corinna and son, Mick.

In April 2014, Schumacher shows for the first time "Moments of consciousness and of the Erwachens", so his Manager Sabine Kehm. Two months later, he is released, first in a rehabilitation clinic in Lausanne. In September 2014, nine months after his fall, returns Schumacher finally returned to his home in Gland, Switzerland. There he is cared for at home by Doctors and nurses. Details on his recovery process since then. How to do it, Schumacher is known only to a small circle.