According to Michael Schumacher's physician, the former Formula One driver is no longer in a coma. The French doctor who treated the F1 champ for six months after his ski accident said Schumacher's recovery is predicted within three years.
ESPN reported Jean-Francois Payen, a Grenoble Hospital physician that treated Michael Schumacher after his injury in December 2013, said he has visited the F1 driver and his family in their residence in Switzerland to monitor his patient's development after coming out from a coma.
"Life after a head injury is punctuated by stages," Payen stated. He also predicted a recuperation of one to three years. "We hope, but we have to give him time."
According to The Telegraph UK, Payen made his first public statement since Michael Schumacher's accident. He confirmed that the Formula One star is out of coma and has made some progress. However, the doctor said the driver will face a long way to recovery.
"I have seen some progress but I would say give him time. It's like other patients, we are in a timescale that ranges from one year to three years, so it takes patience," Dr Payen said.
Michael Schumacher was put into a medically induced coma after his serious accident when he fell in the French Alps while skiing with his 14-year-old son. He hit the side of his head on a rock that cracked his helmet.
BBC News reported neurosurgeon Tony Bell said the 45-year-old F1 driver will take months or years to recover from his injury. Michael Schumacher was a seven-time world champion from Germany.
"We know that some people can spend three, four years in rehabilitation," Dr. Bell said. "It depends very much on the severity of the injury, how young and fit they are."
On separate news, another French Formula One driver, Jules Bianchi, remains in a critical condition in a Japan hospital after suffering severe brain injuries when his vehicle skidded off a wet track on Oct. 5.
Meanwhile, investigators investigating last December's accident said Michael Schumacher had been skiing at the speed of "a very good skier" at the time of his crash in Meribel resort that resulted to his coma.
