{"id":2747,"date":"2026-05-29T18:26:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2747"},"modified":"2026-05-29T18:26:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:26:53","slug":"helicopter-pilot-who-saved-michael-schumacher-breaks-silence-12-years-on-from-horror-ski-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=2747","title":{"rendered":"Helicopter pilot who saved Michael Schumacher breaks silence 12 years on from horror ski crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_d097ad\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury following a skiing accident in 2013 and the helicopter pilot involved in his rescue has spoken for the first time<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37221986\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Yannick Dainese\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221986.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Pilot.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221986.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_Pilot.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221986.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_Pilot.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221986.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_Pilot.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The helicopter pilot involved in rescuing Michael Schumacher following his skiing accident has spoken for the first time\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The helicopter pilot involved in rescuing Michael Schumacher following his skiing accident has spoken for the first time<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The helicopter pilot who helped transport Michael Schumacher to hospital after his skiing accident has recalled how he &#8216;thought it was a joke&#8217; when he was first told they were going to the Formula 1 legend&#8217;s aid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Schumacher, one of the most decorated drivers in F1 history, sustained a traumatic brain injury in December 2013 after crashing during a skiing trip. Yannick Dainese was on duty as a pilot for SAF H\u00e9licopt\u00e8res on the day in question and was involved in the operation which saw Schumacher transported for treatment in the French Alps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Over a decade on, Yannick has now spoken of the incident for the first time in an interview with <a aria-label=\"L'EquipeLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lequipe.fr\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">The Team<\/a> and recalls how a rescuer first informed him that they were heading towards the 57-year-old &#8211; and how he initially didn&#8217;t believe it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Yannick said: \u201cA rescuer jumped out of the helicopter with the doctor and said to me \u2018We\u2019re going to Schumacher!\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cAt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Despite not being a Formula 1 fan, Yannick adds he was aware of who Schumacher was, explaining: \u201cSubconsciously, the pressure was there because I knew he was worshipped like a god.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cBut for me, he was just another seriously injured person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Schumacher was placed into an induced coma for six months following the accident and details over his condition remain scarce. The German has not appeared publicly since the accident.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37221928\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37221928\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.43\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Michael Schumacher skiing\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FILE-Former-F1-Driver-Michael-Schumacher-Hurt-In-Skiing-Accident.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_FILE-Former-F1-Driver-Michael-Schumacher-Hurt-In-Skiing-Accident.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_FILE-Former-F1-Driver-Michael-Schumacher-Hurt-In-Skiing-Accident.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37221928.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_FILE-Former-F1-Driver-Michael-Schumacher-Hurt-In-Skiing-Accident.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Schumacher has not been seen publicly since his skiing accident\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Schumacher has not been seen publicly since his skiing accident<cite aria-label=\"Image: AFP\/Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AFP\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It is understood that Schumacher resides at the family&#8217;s residence on Lake Geneva, where he receives round-the-clock care from a dedicated medical team. Only a select few people outside of his family have been permitted to visit the seven-time F1 champion in the 12 years since his accident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Yannick went back to the hospital shortly after and was taken aback by the response to Schumacher&#8217;s accident. He said: \u201cA few days after the accident, I went back to the hospital to transport another injured person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWhat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury following a skiing accident in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}