Posted on 03/19/2009 1:09:05 PM PDT by LottieDah
Tony-winning actress Natasha Richardson was killed by a blunt trauma to the head and her death was ruled an accident, the city Medical Examiner reported Thursday.
Richardson sustained an epidermal hematoma - a blood clot that forms upon impact and starts growing between the brain and the skull - after wiping out Monday on the bunny slope while skiing at a Canadian resort.
"This is a very treatable condition if you're aware of what the problem is and the patient is quickly transferred to a hospital," Dr. Keith Siller of New York University Langone Medical Center said. "But there is very little time to correct this."
Richardson gave no sign that she was seriously hurt until about an hour after she fell and twice turned down offers to take her to a doctor, witnesses said.
It wasn't until Richardson developed a pounding headache that she was rushed to a Montreal hospital.
The ME's finding came as Broadway prepared to dim its light in memory of Richardson.
For one minute starting at 8 p.m., marquees up and down the Great White Way will go dark as a tribute to Richardson, who died on Wednesday.
"The Broadway community is shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our finest young actresses," said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League.
Meanwhile, plans were being finalized for a family-centered funeral where actor husband Liam Neeson and their two sons can mourn with kin and close friends, sources said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
My son will experience this tribute as he is down there with a school group.
Did socialized medicine kill these lovely and talented actress?
I am very sad about her death....I LOVED the twin movie.
Who knows for sure. She did decline medical attention. So sad for her husband and children.
Dignified send-off for a classy lady.
May Liam and the boys be comforted.
Did socialized medicine kill these lovely and talented actress?
I hope not...although she died in New York. I am not sure what Canada did for her, but I am pretty trusting and feel that they did the best they could.
I had no formal training and for the first 3 years taking my kids skiing with the boy scouts, I practiced a combination of snowplow/controlled plummeting. One of the other scout dads showed me how to slalom enough so as not to look like total @$$. .....and of course I practiced my new found skills on some nasty black diamond trails.... and I took some incredible headers without more than being totally worn out and muscle fatigued for a day or too. Must be my thick NY head that saved me.
What a shame about Richardson....RIP.
The reaction to this around here was really heartwarming. Not a single “It’s just a Hollyweird actor!” post that I saw.
True...Thank God. Although I believe a lot of it had to do with they way she conducted herself. I think FREEPERS respect Hollywood folks as long as they are dignified and that includes those who don’t agree with our beliefs. The ones we don’t like so much are the loud mouths who spew hate...Natasha certainly was not in that group.
That is because she wasn’t out wearing her politics on her sleeve (as far I know). She was a wife and mother, it really is sad.
No. AN ambulance was called, she turned it down. Two other offers to have her checked out were made, she turned them down again and again. As much as we abhor socialized medicine, there are times when it's the victim's own fault.
<Did socialized medicine kill these lovely and talented actress?
I don’t think so. She fell down, thought she wasn’t seriously hurt and declined treatment. How many of us would also do the same? When she started feeling ill, it was too late. People have signs of strokes and heart attacks, don’t think it’s serious and often wind up getting help too late. Many times it kills them.
Too bad about Ms Richardson. My husband died when my son was about the same age as her children. It is a hard road and I don’t wish it on anyone.
I am waiting to see. After hearing of the waits for CT up there, it was my first question. Still unanswered. I have not heard of any intervention done. I bet they didn’t even scan her.
I wonder if these lovely lady had a pre-existing condition that she didn’t know about. And the way Hollywood actresses always have to eat low fat diets, perhaps her fall triggered an aneurysm?
It’s very sad.
I don’t buy that. She went to two hospitals in Canada, apparently not much more than an hour after the accident.Did anyone scan and treat her?
I don't think so. They kept urging her to get checked and she refused and even signed a form refusing an examination. They even called an ambulance and it was turned away. She must have thought it was just a bump on her head and didn't want to make a fuss.
the autopsy said blunt trauma.
I think they did the best they could, considering that she chose to turn them away. Very sad.
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