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Archive through March 19, 2009

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: May 2009 ~ July 2009: The Entertainment Place: Hollywood gossip, news & milestones: Hollywood gossip, news & milestones (ARCHIVES): Archive through March 19, 2009 users admin

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Beth4freedom
Member

10-24-2003

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 9:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Beth4freedom a private message Print Post    
Somewhere I heard also that she laughed it off and signed a release form while still on the slope.

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 3:34 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
Could a Helmet Have Saved Natasha Richardson?

An informative article about head injuries. It's truly frightening that they can manifest so quickly from a seemingly harmless fall. It's like our brains are our Achille's heel if struck the wrong way.

Twiggyish
Member

08-14-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 4:45 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twiggyish a private message Print Post    
Maybe ski resorts will start requiring helmets. As a beginner, she wouldn't have known to wear one.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 5:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
I think its very telling, and scary, that doctors call it talk and die.

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:18 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maris a private message Print Post    
When my husband died I took a month off, to spend it with my son and help him through the process. He has two young children, school will be out in NY in six weeks. I can see him taking the kids to Ireland or to the house upstate through the summer.

Most movies have insurance for situations such as this. I am sure they will film around him and go on hiaitus.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
She hit her head when she fell. Long time ago, (almost feels like another life), I worked as a volunteer in a ski patrol first aid room. *Any* head injury, even the slightest bump, was always referred to the local medical center. Our brains are fragile things, and it takes far less to damage them than we realize.

I'm assuming she broke a blood vessel and the subsequent swelling caused brain death. It would cause no pain at the time of the injury, but would explain the severe headache she developed shortly after, and the almost immediate whole brain trauma.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:51 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
When my dad died (I was 9 and in 4th grade) I did not want to sit at home at all. I was so mad that my mom made me stay home from school the day after he died. I don't know why I remember, but I do. She made me go shopping with her at JCPenney for a black dress for herself. All I wanted to do was go to on like I did before. I did not want my life to totally change. (Little did I know at that time that it changed in a huge way. Forever.)

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Does anyone know what exactly happened?

Westtexan
Member

07-16-2004

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Westtexan a private message Print Post    
What I wonder is if she had seen a doctor immediately, would that have made the difference. She did see one within an hour it sounds like. I wonder what a difference it would have made to have seen one immediately. Very scary stuff.

I've been thinking about Natasha a lot since this happened. This tragedy is of unusual interest to me. Of course I'm saddened for her family and her loss as I would be for any celebrity that experience an unexpected loss but I don't usually become this interested in a story. I think I just find it so scary and feel so fragile. I remember as kids my brothers and I jumping off the roof into a pile of leaves and having the wind knocked out of us. Then we would just climb back on the house and do it again. Or how about the times we jumped out of the swing when it was at it's highest point? God's guardian angels must work overtime with kids.

Twiggyish
Member

08-14-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twiggyish a private message Print Post    
I was reading an article that mentioned blood thinners, such as aspirin or fish oil can make a person more vulnerable to a bleed from an injury. An interesting article:http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2009/03/18/natasha-richardson-and-head-injuries-know-the-warning-signs.html

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maris a private message Print Post    
Julie, I think as a parent he will take whatever time his kids need. They may go right back to school but I doubt very much whether he would leave the states and go up to Toronto while his kids work throughthe grieving process. Then with the summer, maybe he would take them to Toronto in six weeks, who knows.

I have met him once or twice at some Irish arts functions here in NY. A very down to earth guy. It is a shame.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Yes, the reports say that she tumbled and hit her head, and that's why the ski patrol was so concerned. The ski patrol report says she did not suffer any period of unconsciousness.

And yes, if it was a burst blood vessel, if she had gone to hospital immediately, any good doctor would have been highly likely to see signs of brain hemorrage through a simple neurological exam. I assisted many of these exams in my internship, and there are very telling, simple signs - pupil reactivity, balance issues, etc. That positive exam would have lead to an immediate CT scan, and drilling to relieve pressure. It's the pressure that destroys brain tissue.

Perhaps there would have still been damage, since we do not know the severity of the injury, but she would have had a very good chance of survival.

That's why no head injury, no matter how minor it seems, should ever go without seeing a doctor immediately. It may seem inconvenient, but it is always worth it.

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
Autopsy on Natasha Richardson under way in NYC

Some new information, including that Montreal paramedics were summoned to the resort, but then told they were not needed. They were later summoned again when Richardson was at her hotel room. I hope that's not what made the difference in losing her life. It sounds like for the most part ski patrol was very responsible and followed procedure.

Yves Coderre, director of operations at the emergency services company that sent paramedics to the Mont Tremblant resort where Richardson suffered her fall, told The Globe and Mail newspaper Wednesday the paramedics who responded were told they were not needed.

"They never saw the patient," Coderre told The Globe and Mail. "So they turned around." Coderre said another ambulance was called later to Richardson's luxury hotel. By that point, her condition had gotten worse and she was rushed to a hospital.


Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:20 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
There was someone on GMA this morning talking about head injuries and the point of impact makes a huge difference. Apparently being hit in the front or back is not near as likely to cause trauma as being hit on the side of the head. A front or back hit is not nearly as likely to cause loss of consciousness as a side hit. He also said that she could have possibly had an aneurysm, which many more of us have these than people realize, and the hit could have ruptured it.

Nyheat
Member

08-09-2006

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nyheat a private message Print Post    
I smacked my forehead but good when I was in a car accident as a teenager. I had 80 stitches and blacked out. It was extremely traumatic, but I suffered no brain injuries. I guess I was very, very lucky, cause I'm sure I hit the door going more than 15 mph, which one of the articles said was when brain injuries can occur. So yeah, it would seem that the front of the skull is very thick and can absorb some damage.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:29 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
NT, that's a good point, that there certainly could have been some underlying, undiagnosed weakness that made her more vulnerable.

I think my experiences working in a hospital that specialized in treating brain injured patients has made me more sensitive to how very vulnerable our brains are to injury. It drives my poor DS crazy that every time he or one of his friends has a head bump of any kind that I am immediately doing a neurological screen!

There's no way of knowing really if earlier intervention would have saved her life, but it may very well have done so. I just ache for those two boys, losing their mom.

ETA: Nyheat, sorry to hear about your accident. Sometimes, however, brain injury can show up years later, even when there were no signs at the time. At the risk of sounding maternalistic, you should have annual neurological exams.

And even repeated low impact blows can cause damage, as we see years later in boxers and even football players (who do wear helmets).

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:31 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
According to this man, the brain does not whiplash from front to back as it does from side to side.

Here's a link to GMA. There is a lot of info there.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
So did they say what exactly happened? Like did she hit anything or just the ground? What part of her head was hit? How fast was she going? Are there any details like that available?

I'm guessing she must have had a hard tumble. I have never gone skiing before, but I can't see someone calling paramedics for a little fall. Or are paramedics called on any tumble when you ski?

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
The instructor and ski patrol reported that she "tumbled", but it was not a bad tumble. That she did hit her head on the snow when she tumbled. But usually on beginning ski slopes (which this was) the snow is fairly well packed, so not much give to it, IMO.

She was talking and laughing immediately after the fall, she did not report any pain that I know of.

Paramedics are called any time you hit your head, in my experience with ski patrol. The fact that they insisted on transporting her off the mountain, versus allowing her to ski down herself, indicates to me that the instructor/ski patrol took it very seriously. But you can't treat someone who refuses treatment.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
So ski patrol watches everyone and calls for help with every tumble? Or can we assume that it was a harder tumble??

Maris
Member

03-28-2002

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Maris a private message Print Post    
or it was a famous movie star who was having private lessons with probably their top person.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Julie, she was taking a lesson. I am sure the instructor called the ski patrol.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Julie, I can only speak for the agency that I worked with (in Pennsylvania), and the one in Colorado where I know someone who worked for them.

No, we didn't go back to their hotel/condo with them. But we did try to insist on immediate transport to the local med center any time someone hit their head, with any intensity, even moreso if they weren't wearing a helmet. If they wouldn't go immediately, we'd try to convince them to stay in the ski patrol first aid room for some time, so we could observe them, and continue to try to convince them to go. If it was a juvenile, we were allowed to hold them until a legal guardian picked them up.

Do some people refuse? Absolutely. Again, you can't treat someone who refuses. All you can do is advise them and their family appropriately. We did make them sign a release if they refused treatment or the recommended transport. Apparently that is what Ms. Richardson did also.

I haven't heard clear reports on the severity of her tumble. The interview that I heard with someone on scene was that it didn't appear very severe, however that there was such concern expressed by the instructor, ski patrol, and that they called an ambulance suggests to me that they had some worry about how hard she hit her head.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 9:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Julie, this was on Yahoo....

Richardson was lucid following the tumble Monday at the Mont Tremblant resort near Montreal. "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," a spokeswoman for the resort told E! News.

But, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail, paramedics were turned back after being informed they were not needed.

"They never saw the patient, so they turned around," said Yves Coderre, director of operations at Ambulances Radisson, the emergency services company for the resort.

Coderre said another ambulance was later called to the five-star hotel where the Tony-winning actress returned with her two sons afterward. But by then, even though she was still conscious, Richardson's condition had worsened fast, most likely from bleeding in her brain, said the medic.

"When you have a head trauma you can bleed, it can deteriorate in a few hours or a few days," he said. "People don't realize it can be very serious. We warn them they can die and sometimes they start to laugh. They don't take it seriously."

In any case, by the time she was hospitalized, Richardson slipped into unconscious and was later declared brain dead before doctors could take decisive action to stem the bleeding.

Husband Liam Neeson, rushed to her bedside and had her flown to New York City Tuesday afternoon. Family members, including mother Vanessa Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson and aunt Lynn Redgrave, gathered to spend their final hours with Richardson.

She was removed from life support yesterday afternoon and the family announced her death late in the evening.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 9:04 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
By the way, as an interesting aside, I was rear ended on the interstate on Saturday night. Traffic was merging and some yahoo tried to cut in at the last minute, causing everyone in front of us to slam on their brakes, so I did also. I stopped in time, but the slightly inebriated fellow behind us did not. And there was a state trooper sitting on the shoulder who saw the whole thing.

The trooper asked us if anyone was injured, and he asked it directly of each of my young passengers (my DS and two of his friends). We all said we were fine. He called in for a tow truck since the other car was stuck underneath mine (and wasn't driveable anyway). He also told them no ambulance was needed.

An ambulance came anyway, and the paramedics again asked each person if they were okay, twice in fact, before they left the scene.

It's just standard procedure that a paramedic does the asking, rather than just the trooper, apparently.