Michael Schumacher's helicopter pilot has broken his silence more than 12 years after the Formula 1 legend's skiing accident in Méribel, recounting in a French newspaper interview how he flew the critically injured driver to hospital on 29 December 2013 and only later grasped the scale of what had happened.
Near-total privacy around Schumacher's condition has been maintained by his family since the incident in the French Alps. The seven-time world champion suffered a severe head injury while skiing off-piste near the resort of Méribel and was airlifted to Grenoble University Hospital, where he underwent emergency treatment. Since then, firm details about his health have been scarce, feeding continuing fascination with one of sport's most closely guarded medical stories.
