Autopsy: Richardson died of impact to the head

[WI_DEM]

NEW YORK - The New York City medical examiner's office says actress Natasha Richardson died of blunt impact to the head. Medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said the death was ruled an accident. The cause of death was "epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head."

The 45-year-old actress reportedly suffered a head injury after a fall during a private lesson Monday at a resort in Quebec. Richardson was seemingly fine after she fell, but about an hour later, she complained that she didn't feel well. She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York, where she died.

Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson's husband, Liam Neeson, confirmed her death Wednesday without giving details on the cause. There were no details on funeral arrangements.

Funeral arrangements for the 45-year-old actress will be handled by the Greenwich Village Funeral Home.

Broadway theaters will dim their lights Thursday in honor of Richardson. Theater marquees will be dimmed for one minute at 8 p.m. EDT, the traditional starting time for evening performances of Broadway shows.

"The Broadway community is shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our finest young actresses, Natasha Richardson. Her theatrical lineage is legendary, but her own singular talent shined memorably on any stage she appeared," said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, the trade organization for Broadway theaters and producers.

Sam Mendes, who directed the Broadway musical "Cabaret" for which Richardson won a Tony, said, "It defies belief that this gifted, brave, tenacious, wonderful woman is gone."
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20090319/49c1d150_3421_1334520090319103898753

[marylanddem]

1. This is very sad. The circumstances of the fall itself haven't been

very clear in anything I've read...

[SoCalDem]

2. It does not have to be a BIG head trauma.."Talk & Die Syndrome"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5278636&mesg_id=5278636

[marylanddem]

3. What I mean is...

Did she hit her head on ice? On a ski? On a tree?

[northernlights]

15. she didn't hit a tree or anyone

and the reports said that the snow was soft and wet.

It doesn't take a hard blow. Just the wrong blow, that starts an artery leaking.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. Self-delete.. wrong place.

[kestrel91316]

6. She was in a private beginner ski lesson on a bunny slope.

I am assuming that the snow was hardpack or icy. Soft powder wouldn't bang anybody's head up.

[jobycom]

7. The lodge is probably releasing as little as possible in case of lawsuits

You can tell by their description it was more serious than they are playing it up as. The paramedics were called immediately, and her instructor tried to get her to go to the hospital, and then escorted her back to her room, and tried again to convince her to see a doctor. Even from that little bit, you can tell they were worried about it from the very beginning. The paramedics who were called have been interviewed, and said they never got to see her before they were called back, so we do know they called the paramedics right away.

The lodge is going to downplay the accident and exagerate their reaction now, probably on advice from an attorney, until all possible charges of negligence, procedural investigations, and potential wrongful death suits are settled. For that matter, some of those investigations may turn up negligence on their part, or details they haven't told us. Like, maybe she hit a tree or a rock? Who knows. It's not surprising they are being vague.

And if the family has reason to blame them or be suspicious, the family will be quiet until they've spoken to authorities and attorneys, as well. This is a rich, very smart, and very well represented family, so I doubt much will get past them, even in their grief.

[bpj62]

12. Snow Boarding

Anyone who has ever snow boarded will tell you that the first time you try it you are going to spend most of the day falling down and getting back up. By accepting the lift pass you acknowledge the inherent dangers that skiing/snow boarding can create. Unless the equipment was faulty this unforunate incident will be considered an accident. All of my children ski and all of them wear helmets. This may or may not have saved her life but who the hell expects to die on the bunny slope. I feel for her husband and her two boys. She was a wonderful actress and it is a shame that she has died.

[jobycom]

14. It wouldn't be because of the fall, but maybe the reaction afterwards.

Say if she hit a tree, and was disoriented, but they let her talk them into cancelling the paramedics even if she wasn't fully coherent. Something like that.

Not saying it will happen, or that anything wrong did happen, just that any business is going to be cautious until the whole thing plays out under those situations. Even if there is no suit, bad publicity could hurt them badly.

[northernlights]

19. there were witnesses

It's not a private resort. Other skiers witnessed her fall and called it a "tumble." She did NOT hit a tree or another person or anything in particular. The snow was described as soft and wet. They resort advises wearing helmets, but doesn't require it. She chose not to. She was laughing and joking afterwards, lucid and walking on her own. The resort took her down the hill by toboggan, as per their procedure. She *refused* to go to the hospital immediately, and only agreed to go when she developed the pounding headache.

Presumably they exercised *extra* caution because of her celebrity and the potential for damaging pr and lawsuits.

It doesn't take a huge impact, a lot depends on the angle at which you hit and the area you hit. Apparently a small impact to the temple can rupture the superficial temporal artery, which lies just underneath.

[jobycom]

21. Not my point.

Any business is going to be cautious in a situation like this, for legal and PR reasons, even if they did nothing wrong. I wasn't commenting on what happened at all, only on the early dearth of information from the sources.

[DeschutesRiver]

27. They reported today that an ambulance came to the scene, but she turned it down

It ended up coming back anyway once her head pain started.

Another report said that the tumble occurred at the bottom of the beginner slope, on the flat part. Horrible freak accident with a tragic outcome. One of those where the biggest thing you can take away from it is that death can just be damned random when the time comes. Need to be sure to get to living it as well as you can while you still can.

I keep remembering all the Warn? extreme skiing shows, where they take fall after fall, pushing the limits; the kids that crash hard during skateboarding; jet ski boats coming unglued at high speeds and the drivers just walk away when you just know they should have died. And this person bags it on the flat end of a beginner slope by a mild slip and fall. while I've been tossed off horses at high speed like a freaking lawn dart (and have watched it happen to others for years) and it just was a matter of chance that it didn't break badly for me.

[sweetpotato]

4. My heart hurts for her family

Freak accidents are tragic and frightening.

I feel so sorry for her husband and boys.

[cabluedem]

22. I feel so sorry about this. I do hope this one incedent does not call for ski helmet laws, however.

life is full of risks that we cannot predict.

[madinmaryland]

5. This really puts it into perspective, the fragility of human life.

R.I.P.

[glinda]

8. Goes to show that even a perfect ideal financial life is not a better life. Today is a day

to be grateful.

[bdamomma]

9. so sad.

deepest sympathy to her family.

[TwilightGardener]

10. Epidural hematoma tends to be a faster bleed than a subdural, from

what I remember--it's a bleed that occurs between the skull and the dura mater (lining around the brain) rather than somewhere in the brain tissues (subdural)--if caught quickly, it can be often be drained or the pressure relieved (maybe with a skull flap?), but it sounds like this poor lady had a heavy arterial bleed that effectively squooshed her brain tissue down to the base before they had a chance to do something about it. Very sad.

[AngryAmish]

23. Burr hole first to relieve pressure and insert probe

Then meds (steroids and diuretic, I think).

Flap only if major bleed and swelling/post mass effect (I think, I'm not a neurosurgeon).

[TwilightGardener]

24. Sounds familiar to me--I used to work in a trauma unit, a few years back.

Intracranial pressure monitoring, and some receiving Decadron (steroid) and a drug called Nimotop (calcium channel blocker, I think) to keep BP in check--a drip of Nipride would sometimes be necessary to lower BP, that was a serious-ass drip. You didn't want BP too high for obvious reasons, but you also couldn't have it too low because you still needed perfusion to overcome tissue swelling. Good times, good times...OK, not really. Amazing how much professional knowledge I've forgotten since leaving nursing.

[Arugula Latte]

11. I've been wondering if she donated any organs.

I haven't heard anything, but I hope that did happen.

[Stellabella]

13. What on earth did she hit her head on?

Skis, a pole, a lift chair, a tree?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

17. The snow.

[Lex]

18. I was wondering that too. The snowy ground would've been fairly soft

or maybe not--maybe the ground was frozen hard? :shrug:

[northernlights]

20. it doesn't take a hard blow

just the wrong blow, at the wrong angle.

The snow was described by witnesses as soft and wet. She didn't hit a tree or another person. Just hit her head the wrong way. It could have happened to any of us. Heck, I just slipped on ice a week ago and hit the sinus bone just ahead of my right temporal on a fence post, probably far harder than she hit her head. I have a nice bruise to show for it, but luckily there aren't any major veins or arteries at that spot...

[sir pball]

25. This early in the spring

The first couple of inches of snow are slushy and soft, but as soon as you get through that it's dense white...concrete is a better word than ice. The day/night freeze-thaw cycles set it SOLID; it hasn't been warm enough to thaw the base layers yet.

It's actually some of the most painful conditions to fall in, it can feel just like falling off a bike in a parking lot.

[Stellabella]

28. Thanks for the info. I live in the northern US, but didn't think about that.

Makes sense when I think about snow in March around here - it does get as hard as ice. I've only been on the slopes in December and January.

[opihimoimoi]

26. Ignorance on many levels led to her demise...one of those avoidable deaths

[sohndrsmith]

29. Makes me wonder if she'd ever been tested for Von Willebrands...

I read an article (I wish I'd saved the address) a day or so ago that described how clotting factor diseases can make a difference in similar situations.

That - and - I have vW myself and suffered massive internal bleeding from a car crash that was very seriously life threatening for me (whereas it would have not been so grave had I not had a bleeding disorder).

I had no serious external injuries or broken bones, but my atypical and excessive bleeding gave the doctors a sudden (and difficult) problem. Thank goodness my brother mentioned I had vWD - had the doctors never known, I might not be here. The emergency surgery and appropriate medication saved my life...

I just wonder if something like this could have been a component to Ms. Richardson's injury being unexpectedly grave (and ultimately fatal). If the doctors wonder about it, hopefully the children will be tested, as it's hereditary. It's really no big deal - except in unusual circumstances... and maybe I'm way off, but I did wonder about it. If you have it, you want to know...

Just a thought...

My heart goes out to the family - especially her sons. I read in another article yesterday that the family has a home in the very, very small town I grew up in. I hope they had good memories there...

So tragic for those little guys.