Former California governor and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 13-year-old son with his estranged wife Maria Shriver was seriously injured in a surfing accident, reports and family said yesterday.
Christopher Schwarzenegger has been in intensive care since suffering broken bones and a collapsed lung in the boogie-boarding accident in Malibu last weekend, according to People magazine and the TMZ celebrity news website.
“Christopher has been in ICU since Sunday,” a source told People, adding: “Maria has not left his side and is sleeping at hospital.” TMZ said his condition has been upgraded during the week.
His 17-year-old brother Patrick tweeted: “Thank you everyone for your messages about my brother. This kid is strongest kid I ever seen. Keep praying.”
Katherine Schwarzenegger also tweeted that her brother was “getting better,” according to TMZ, which said that former bodybuilder and politician Schwarzenegger has visited his son in hospital as well.
A spokesman for Mr Schwarzenegger, who put his film comeback on hold after announcing a split from his wife in May, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The accident was revealed a day after it emerged that Mr Schwarz-enegger is refusing Ms Shriver’s request for financial support after they divorce, triggered by his admission that he fathered a child with the couple’s housekeeper.
Ms Shriver filed for divorce three weeks ago citing “irreconcilable differences” with her husband, whom she met in 1977 and married in 1986. She has requested spousal support.
In filings to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Mr Schwarzenegger said he would refuse that support, while seeking joint custody of their two minor children, Patrick and Christopher.
Ms Shriver and Mr Schwarzenegger have two other children: Katherine, 21, and Christina, 19.
The Austrian-born former bodybuilder, a liberal Republican, had left office in January, and started to return to show business, with plans for a Governator comic book and animated TV show.