Natasha Richardson Dies in Skiing Accident

[TripperFan]

Just heard on my local news that Natasha Richardson, wife of Liam Neesan (sp?) is in critical condition in a Montreal hospital with a severe brain injury after a skiing accident in Quebec.

Let's pray she's alright.


UPDATE: Has now passed away on Wednesday, March 18th 8:30 p.m. EDST

[Marvo301]

That's really bad news. A similar injury killed Sonny Bono. I hope Natasha has a much better prognosis.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Ugh, I just heard about this. I hope she gets well soon.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

Natasha Richardson Critically Injured in Ski Accident

Natasha Richardson has been critically injured in a skiing accident in Canada.

The English actress and wife of Irish native Liam Neeson suffered a traumatic brain injury, a source tells IrishCentral.com. Richardson was due to appear next year in a Broadway revival of A Little Night Music alongside her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.

It's yet to be determined whether or not Neeson is with Richardson at the Montreal hospital where she is being treated. The Oscar-nominated actor has had his own run-in with injury; Neeson suffered a broken pelvis in 2000 after his motorcycle collided with a deer outside New York City.

In addition to her scheduled stage performance, Richardson's TV and film credits include Evening, Maid in Manhattan and The Parent Trap, in which she starred opposite Dennis Quaid — and co-parented a pre-pubescent Lindsay Lohan.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Natasha-...y-1004109.aspx

[Brian Damage]

I'll pray for her. Such a beautiful young woman.

[catlover79]

Poor thing. I'll pray for her and her family.

[Mr. Television]

My prayers go to her and her family.

[browneyes106]

I'll keep her in my prayers. She is a very talented actress.

[PrettyinPink55]

I really hope she makes a speedy, full recovery!!!!

[Amanda Woodward]

Bad feeling bout this....which hopefully won't come true

[Superstar]

Details Emerge on Natasha Richardson's Accident
By Kathy Ehrich Dowd

Originally posted Tuesday March 17, 2009 01:25 PM EDT
Natasha Richardson

Photo by: Will Ragozzino / Getty

Actress Natasha Richardson, reportedly in serious condition with head trauma in a Montréal hospital after a ski accident Monday at Mont Tremblant, was walking around and feeling fine for an hour after her accident, a spokesperson from the ski resort says.

"She was laughing and joking and she walked to her room on her own," Mont Tremblant spokesperson Catherine Lacasse says.

The British-born Richardson, 45, was not wearing a ski helmet when she was taking a private ski lesson on the Nansen, a beginners' run at Mont Tremblant. When she was near the bottom of the run in a section known as the flats, she fell down. According to the spokeswoman, Richardson did not hit anyone or anything before coming to a stop.

"She was accompanied by an experienced ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol," according to a statement from the resort.

Lacasse tells PEOPLE that there were no cuts, bleeding or other external signs of injury. Ski patrollers assisted Richardson and helped her to her room. She was not put on a stretcher.

About an hour after the fall, Richardson started complaining of headaches. She went to a nearby hospital and was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of Sacré Coeur Hospital. (A spokesperson for the hospital would not confirm or deny that Richardson was a patient there.)

According to AccessHollywoood.com, her husband, actor Liam Neeson, 56, was filming the movie Chloe in Toronto when he got the news and rushed to be by Richardson's side.

Richardson, who appeared in The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan and Nell has been married to Neeson since 1994. They have two sons, Micheal Richard Antonio, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12.

http://www.people.com/people/article...266173,00.html

[Brent88]

NY Post is saying she's brain dead, but no one else is reporting that so far. Either way it doesn't sound good.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03172009...ead_160027.htm

[browneyes106]

There are a lot of different stories about Natasha's injuries and details about the accident. There are even a few sites reporting that she died. Either way it is a bad situation.

[Zoneboy]

How can a person be fine one minute and brain dead the next?

Link

Natasha Richardson was reported to be "fine at first" after she hit her head in a skiing accident, but the 45-year-old actress' health began to deteriorate within an hour.

Now sources close to the Tony award-winning actress say she is brain dead and being flown back to New York, where she will be taken off life support.

“I can only speculate, but it sounds like something we call the ‘talk and die’ syndrome,” said Dr. Steven Flanagan, director of Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

“What this implies is that someone hits their head and they are seemingly OK initially," he told FOXNews.com. "But then they get a rapid collection of blood — usually called epidural hemorrhage — and that means bleeding between the skull and the brain.”

Richardson was reportedly in serious condition with a head injury after falling on a beginner's trail during a ski lesson at the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, Canada.

"She did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor," the resort said in a statement.

Mont Tremblant spokeswoman Catherine Lacasse said Richardson was getting a private lesson and that she said she was "fine at first."

"An hour later she said she didn't feel well. She had a headache, so we sent her to the hospital," Lacasse said. "There were no signs of impact and no blood, nothing."

Flanagan, who has not treated Richardson, said a person doesn't always show outward signs of trauma when suffering a head injury.

“When someone has bleeding between the skull and the brain, it basically presses on the brain, and if it presses enough… it can cause substantial damage and even death,” Flanagan told FOXNews.com.

“And presumably that’s what probably happened to her — but again, we’re speculating.”

Symptoms of an epidural hemorrhage include:

— Headache;

— Loss of consciousness;

— Weakness on one side of the body;

— A change in mental status

If the condition is not treated immediately, the person will fall into a coma and “it’s downhill from there,” Flanagan said.

“So you need to get the injury treated immediately,” he said.

“First we would do an emergency CAT scan to find out exactly where the hemorrhage is, and then the patient would need immediate surgery.”

While Flanagan said he doesn’t know exactly what kind of injury Richardson sustained, he said it would have to be a substantial blow to the head.

“If you bumped your head getting out of the car, this wouldn’t happen to you,” he said. “It would have to be a significant injury.”

[Brent88]

Originally Posted by Zoneboy

How can a person be fine one minute and brain dead the next?

That's what is strange to me as well. Doesn't seem like she hit anything like you would think in a major skiing accident. Weird. Life is so short.