Michael Schumacher coma update: Out of hospital after six months, rehab begins

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Legendary Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher is now out of a six-month coma after a ski accident. According to CNN, Schumacher "has been transferred from a hospital in Grenoble, France" into a rehabilitation facility.

Last December, Schumacher suffered an almost fatal skiing accident in the French Alps. He suffered severe head trauma, which resulted in a coma.

Manager Sabine Kehm shared with CNN that "Michael has left...to continue his long phase of rehabilitation." Schumacher will undergo rehab in a university hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. His presence in the rehab facility has been confirmed, but there are no details given regarding his treatment. Nevertheless, since the skiing accident, Schumacher was already being treated in a Grenoble hospital.

Since the accident, a French prosecutor investigated the cause of the accident. He ruled out speed as the cause of the accident. Rather, "the experienced skier hit a rock hidden beneath the snow while traversing an area between two marked pistes, which catapulted him face first onto another rock. Schumacher ended up 9 meters (30 feet) from the edge of the piste," said prosecutor Patrick Quincy. A camera attached to the helmet helped Quincy with his investigation.

Back in April, Kehm confirmed that 45-year old Schumacher already showed "small, encouraging signs" of recovery, according to The Independent. However, the family wishes that the media respect the privacy of their family at this time.

Kehm's April statement said: "His family would like to explicitly thank all his treating doctors, nurses and therapists in Grenoble as well as the first aiders at the place of the accident, who did an excellent job in those first months. The family also wishes to thank all the people who have sent Michael all the many good wishes to Michael. We are sure it helped him. For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye."