Helicopter pilot who rescued Michael Schumacher he speaks out for first time about what happened
It's been 13 years since legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher last appeared in public following his traumatic head injury while skiing.
The German racing driver was known globally as one of the best in the sport's history, having competed in Formula One from 1996 to 2006, before making a two-year return between 2010 and 2012.
Tragically, less than a year after his retirement, the sporting icon's life would change forever while on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, as he hit his head on a rock.
Although he was wearing a helmet, he required surgery and a medically-induced coma, and he has remained hidden away from public view ever since, under the care of his family and a team of medical professionals.
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Now, more than a decade on from the shocking incident, the man who was able to rescue the 57-year-old has spoken about his experience in helping to save his life.
Speaking to French publication L'Equipe, Yannick Dainese has recalled the moment that he flew a helicopter down to assist Schumacher on the fateful day in December 2013.
He said: “A rescuer jumped out of the helicopter with the doctor and said to me ‘we’re going to Schumacher!’
“At first I thought he was joking.
“But when the commander ordered us to remove our microphones and GoPros, and to forbid journalists from accompanying us, I understood that it was true.”
Naturally, saving lives while working for an organisation that specialised in emergency medical services and mountain rescue operations can often make celebrities look less impressive by comparison but even though Dainese wasn't an F1 fan, he of course felt the pressure of having to rescue a man as revered as Schumacher.
“Subconsciously, the pressure was there because I knew he was worshipped like a god,” the pilot added.
“But for me, he was just another seriously injured person.”
Dainese tells of how the slope was immediately locked down, meaning that it was just Schumacher and the rescue team working without any distractions.
He worked with his partner in the helicopter to load the race driver onto a mattress and then into the chopper, where he was rushed to hospital in Grenoble, with everyone inside the helicopter stunned into a shocked silence.
It wasn't until he returned to the hospital a few days later that he realised that news of Schumacher's injury had gone public.
He said: “A few days after the accident, I went back to the hospital to transport another injured person.
“What I saw shocked me: there were so many buses, red flags, and people everywhere that the hospital grounds had been transformed into a Formula 1 circuit. It was unbelievable.”
A friend of Schumacher has suggested that we are likely to never see the German again as he continues to recover from the horrific injury, although his signature was spotted on a charity F1 helmet last year, so he clearly still loves and misses the sport he dominated for so many years.
Topics: Michael Schumacher
James Moorhouse