19/07/2004
NEWS STORY
With regards matters medical it is always best to get a second opinion, and Ralf Schumacher should heed the warning from FIA medical delegate Professor Sid Watkins who fully concurs with the diagnosis offered by Pitpass' medical delegate, Dr Iain Corness, last month.
Originally, Dr Corness warned that Ralf should stay out of an F1 car for at least 6 weeks, while in a follow up article, once doctors had discovered that the WilliamsF1 driver had suffered cracked vertebrae, Dr Corness repeated that it was the German's brain, and the possibility of further damage, that was the real threat.
Now, Professor Watkins has warned that it is the long-term damage to Schumacher's brain that is of primary concern and that the 29-year-old should not attempt to return to work early.
"Ralf must make sure he is fully recovered and rule out the chance of suffering side effects from the crash," he told British tabloid, The Mirror. "Otherwise a secondary impact syndrome threatens and with a young brain such as Ralf's that could mean the vibrations lead to brain swelling and, in the worst case scenario, death.
"Ralf has had two similar heavy impacts in the last year in Monza and Indianapolis." added Watkins, "and the effect if he returned before he was fully fit could be the same as you see in a boxer."