Doctor: Schumacher may recover in 1-3 years.

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A French doctor who treated Michael Schumacher after a skiing accident that nearly killed him has said the Formula One star may recover within three years.

In his first public comments since the accident, Dr Jean-Francois Payen confirmed that Schumacher is out of a coma and has made "some progress", but said the driver faces a long road to recovery.

"I have seen some progress but I would say give him time. It's like other patients, we are in a timescale that ranges from one year to three years, so it takes patience," Dr Payen said.

Dr Payen, the head of Anesthesiology at Grenoble University Hospital where Schumacher was rushed after his accident last December, spoke about his celebrity patient in two interviews, with Le Parisien newspaper and RTL radio.

"Life after a brain injury is littered with stages," he said. "It must progress, we hope, but we must give him time."

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