Ski helmet footage shows Schumacher wasn't speeding

Schumacher was not skiing at excessive speed. Photo / AP

Investigators examining the cause of the skiing crash that critically injured Michael Schumacher have revealed details of footage captured by a camera on his ski helmet.

Schumacher sustained severe brain injuries falling headfirst on to a rock on December 29 on a French Alps slope during a family vacation. He remains in a critical but stable condition while doctors at a hospital in Grenoble keep him in a medically induced coma to ease the stress on his brain.

Yesterday the prosecutor and investigators examining what caused the retired Formula One great's crash in Meribel told of what they had learned so far from two minutes of images, which were not made public.

"He was skiing between three and six metres away from the regular ski trail," Albertville prosecutor Patrick Quincy said.

"At one point, his skis struck the top of a rock slightly visible above the snow. He loses his balance and his body falls ahead of the rock. His head hits a rock located approximately 3.5 metres below.

"The first rock and the second one that he hit with his head are eight metres away from the border of the ski trail."

Quincy said more detailed, frame-by-frame analysis was ongoing, though it seemed clear that Schumacher was not skiing at excessive speed.

"His pace was completely normal for a skilled skier," said Lieutenant Colonel Benoit Vinneman of the regional police investigation unit.

The footage filmed using such devices is used by investigators trying to clarify the chain of events following accidents.

There has been no evidence that Schumacher took any unnecessary risk that led to his crash.

- AP