It has been almost five years since Formula One racing legend Michael Schumacher met a horrible skiing accident. Since then, updates on his health conditions have been tightly kept in private as requested by his family.
Schumacher was on a vacation in December 2013 at the French Alps when he suffered a tragic accident that caused severe head injuries. The car racing champion was placed on a medically induced coma and spent time in the hospital until 2014.
The family of Schumacher remained firm on their request to let the F1 legend’s health condition and recovery remain in private. However, several publications went as far as publishing inaccurate reports. In 2015, a German publication claimed that Schumacher has already started walking again.
But his family said that the report had no basis and was utterly false. They then decided to file a case against the publication. Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, also reiterated in 2016 through an interview with Telegraph, “Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard. We have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere.”
In 2017, a court in Hamburg ruled in favor of Michael Schumacher’s family and ordered that the news outlet pay them 50,000 euros in damages. The publication also had to compensate 65 percent of the total legal fees the retired car racer’s family had spent on the proceedings. According to reports, the court was also convinced that their 2015 report was “false.”
Meanwhile, the car racing industry continues to pay tribute to Michael Schumacher’s success before his retirement as the F1 legend continues to recover. Just last June, his family agreed to open the Michael Schumacher Private Collection, which exhibits many important pieces that relate to his career.
"The Michael Schumacher Private Collection is a huge thank you from the Schumacher family to the many fans of Michael and motorsport," Kehm said of the museum. "It displays significant pieces from his personal collection. The fact this exhibition has found a home at Motorworld Cologne Rhineland is perfect for us."
