A brain injury specialist has claimed that Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher will be a completely different man if he survives following serious head injuries.
The seven-time champion is in a critical but stable condition in a hospital in Grenoble, France, following the incident on December 19.
The 45-year-old hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste at the resort of Meribel in the French Alps.
Acute brain injury specialist Dr Richard Greenwood of the University College London Hospital believes that Schumacher may struggle to come to terms with his new life should he come through.
"If Schumacher survives, he will not be Schumacher," The Times quotes Dr Greenwood as saying. "He will be [Joe] Bloggs. His rehabilitation will only be effective if he comes to terms with being Bloggs.
"That is a very, very hard process to take people through. They need to come to terms with their limitations — the fact they have changed."
Schumacher, who is in an induced coma, has undergone two operations to calm swelling on the brain.