[UPDATE] Michael Schumacher In ‘Critical Condition’ After Skiing Accident

UPDATE:

French doctors have announced that Michael Schumacher’s condition has slightly improved on Tuesday after undergoing a second surgery to treat internal bleeding in the racer’s skull.

“The situation is more under control than yesterday but we cannot say he is out of danger,” Jean-Francois Payen, head anesthetician at University Hospital Center of Grenoble, told reporters.  “We have won some time but we must continue an hour-by-hour surveillance… It is premature to speculate on his condition.”

Neurosurgeon Dr. Emmanuel Gay carried out the successful operation overnight to remove a large hematoma (build up of blood) from his brain.

“It was larger and more accessible (than others) … We judged we could remove it without taking any risks,” said Gay.

While it is too earlier to speculate whether Schumacher’s condition will further improve or not, “We are a little less worried,” Payen added.

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Formula One racing legend Michael Schumacher is currently fighting for his life in a French hospital after suffering major head trauma in a skiing accident over the weekend.  The seven-time world champion reportedly slammed his head against a rock while Sunday morning near his vacation home in the French Alps resort of Meribel.

“We can say that his condition is life-threatening,” Jean-Francois Payen, head anesthetician at University Hospital Center of Grenoble, said in a press conference.

The 44-year-old was initially conscious after the accident, but his condition quickly deteriated en route to the hospital.  He underwent immediate brain surgery after a brain scan revealed internal bleeding and multiple injuries including contusions and lesions.  According to Payen, if Schumacher hadn’t been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash he would’ve surely died before making it to the hospital.

Schumacher is currently under a medically induced coma to help heal his wounds.  “For the moment we cannot say what Michael Schumacher’s future is,” Payen added. “We are working round the clock – we are trying to win time.”

Michael Schumacher is the most successful Formula One racer of all time with 91 wins over a two decade career.  After winning his first title in 1994, Schumacher would go on to win an astonishing five Formula One racing titles in a row between 2000 and 2004.  At one point he was the highest paid athlete in the world after signing a four-year,$124 million contract ($31 million a  year) with Ferrari in 1996.   He retired from the sport last year in order to spend more time with his wife and two children in Switzerland.