I wasn't going to post on this, but there seems to be a lot of confusing stories out there (as well as on here) and I have been annoying the wife with questions the last few days to work out what has been going on with MS.
I actually know where the accident happened very well, having spent 3 seasons in the area. This was a freak accident that could have happened to anyone and didn't need anything like stupidity or pushing the boundaries for it to happen. I used to snowboard that area on a daily basis when there as it gave me a good link between the best runs and where I was staying at the time, and even taking it slowly and carefully I have fallen in that area more than anywhere else to my recollection due to the terrain. It is not steep, it is not loose snow, it is just that you don't know what is 1" beneath the surface and it changes from deep snow to lightly covered rocks within feet.
He was wearing a helmet and the original injury did not fracture the skull or anything like that. He has what is known as a Contra-Couc injury (I think that is how it is spelt) which is a type very common with boxers, wrestlers etc where the brain is viloently shaken within the skull itself by an impact. It is very common in this type of injury for the person to be fine (in some case for a day or more) before the "bruising" of the brain causes it to swell and apply pressure against the skull. Anyone that has followed wrestling from the US for more than a few years will be familiar with this type of injury where wrestlers have celebrated a win, gone back to their hotel and died over night due to lack of medical intervention.
The surgeries that have taken place will be to relieve the pressure of the swelling in strategically important areas or in some cases as a whole across the area. It is common practice for anyone undergoing this type of surgery to be kept in a medically induced coma for a minimum of 48 hours post op and sometimes up to a week depending on how the patient is responding. This helps to avoid further swelling from the original injury as well as reduces any risk of swelling in the area of the operation. The fact that MS is being described as stable is actually very encouraging as it means further swelling has been avoided and that it is now about whether the existing injuries can be dealt with.
The worst news is that no-one can tell what the outcome will be should MS pull through the injury and it probably won't be known for a number of years. Some people can wake up, be normal from day 1 and just get on with life, some (read information published about Richard Hammond) will wake up and return to what is considered to be a normal life but will be recovering for months or years afterwards before finally being themselves again, and others may wake up and never return to their normal life due to the changes in them (look up Kevin Pearce, a snowboarder who has spent the last 4 years just trying to be independent). Brain injuries are hit and miss at the best of times, so all we can do is wait and hope that MS is back to fighting fit before too long.
In all my years of watching motor sport, and every battle I ever saw Schumi being involved in I always wanted him to lose. This is the first time I have wanted him to win, and not only win but dominate the fight.
