Monday 30 December 2013

Michael Schumacher

Back when it started if you'd driven in F1 for 19 seasons, you'd consider yourself lucky to come out the other side (average of 1.5 deaths per annum in the 1950s and 1960s). But Schumacher got away with nothing but a broken leg.

Then he gets on a ski slope and ends up in a coma.

(it's also the case that pros rarely get killed playing rugby, it's the amateur club players)

11 comments:

Ross said...

The broken leg he suffered at Silverstone could have been fatal- not so much the injury itself but having to survive in an NHS hospital overnight.

Mark Wadsworth said...

He's ended up in a,

Ian Hills said...

Reminds me of Yuri Gagarin - safely journeying into outer space, but killed in a plane crash.

Mark Wadsworth said...

IH, that sounds like an excellent idea for a Short List "People who survived doing really dangerous jobs but then died doing something really everyday and mundane"

ageing man said...

MH - I suspect it won't be a short list, it could be quite long. Mike Hawthorn, Clay Regazzoni, Graham Hill, Harry Houdini [the stomach punching thing was his party trick]... that's my starters for 10.... I hope MS pulls through, love him or loathe him... one of the greatest drivers F1 has ever seen [and my bias is fully acknowledged]

Lola said...

AM - Hill was doing something extremely dangerous when he crashed his aircraft on Arkley Golf Course - flying in bad weather. By al; accounts he was again 'flying too close to the edge'. Ditto Schumacher.

ageing man said...

Lola ~ But then .... what constitutes extremely dangerous, to some becomes relative.... I mean would I let someone punch my stomach ? my arse I would ...ach erm, when I say my arse.... I don't mean they can punch my arse instead.... now that could be more than extremely dangerous....

But on balance, yes, skiing could be considered as dangerous as driving a F1 car at 180mph with only a fart between you and the car in front I agree, but I don't ski not because I consider it dangerous, simply I don't ski because I am shite at it and as for driving at 180mph..... 145mph is the fastest I got to before bailing out.... and there were no cars in my line of sight...

If I could ski, I would.... If I could fly a plane, I would; I can abseil but would I ?.... not on your nelly....I consider it too dangerous... you see it's all relative...

So I will add to the list, Colin McRae and before you say it.... I know people [including the air accident bureau] say the way he was arsing about in the helicopter was dangerous....

James Higham said...

Terrible thing. Watching this one closely and putting in a small prayer.

Tim Almond said...

Mark,

and I think we'd have to exclude things like old age/cancer. But maybe something like falling down the stairs, or getting food stuck in their throat.

Not sure about light aircraft - there's lots of stories about crashes involving them.

Ross said...

Steve Irwin- spent his life treating crocodiles like guinea pigs, and then got killed by a ray.

DBC Reed said...

Since Schumacher nearly killed Ruben Barrichello by unsportsmanlike driving in the August 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix (while Lewis Hamilton got the black-and-white flag, for some "unsportsmanlike driving",nowhere near as dangerous in Malaysia earlier in the year I have mixed feelings about Schumacher, to say the least.In 1994 he rammed Damon Hill while the Englishman was overtaking at Adelaide and in 1997 at Jerez ,and at equally high speed went into the side of Jacques Villeneuve, which even his most partisan fans cannot excuse. Not a sportsman nor a gentleman as the old FA rules used to stipulate.