New Questions Arise About Natasha Richardson's Death

Not satisfied with the statements from the ski resort about Natasha Richardson's accident, The New York Times investigated and has unovered discrepancies between the facts and what the Mont Tremblant ski resort told the press. The resort said Natasha had a minor fall and was laughing and joking afterwards. An ambulance was called, which was turned away by the resort who said the actress did not want to be examined. The ambulance crew agreed that they were turned back, but the did see Natasha. But she wasn't laughing and joking -- she was sitting on a stretcher. The other discrepancy is the timeline. The resort said the second ambulance came about an hour later. But she was not admitted to a hospital for treatment for four hours, according to records obtained by The New York Times.

Those discrepancies seemed to introduce new questions about whether Ms. Richardson, who suffered an epidural hematoma — an accumulation of blood between the brain and the skull — after her fall, could have been saved had she been treated faster.

*****

A brain surgeon not involved in her treatment, Dr. David J. Langer, the director of cerebrovascular neurosurgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center and Long Island College Hospital, said that a clot can develop from the bleeding following such a trauma.

Dr. Langer added that if a patient undergoes surgery — ideally within an hour of the injury — to relieve the pressure, remove the clot and stop the bleeding, the patient can recover. "It can be quite dramatic," Dr. Langer said. "It's one of the most acute neurological emergencies. It's one of the few times where it's life or death, where you can truly save somebody's life, or they die if you don't get to them."

In Ms. Richardson's case, ambulance records showed that she did not receive her first attention from a doctor until 4:20 p.m., at the local hospital, in Ste. Agathe, Quebec, about 25 miles from Mont Tremblant.

It's certainly true that the ski resort issued a number of self-serving statements the day of the accident. The resort spokesperson said the fall was minor, that she didn't hit anyone or anything, that she laughed off the incident and that a ski instructor was right with her and that the ski patrol stayed with her after the incident. The statements clearly indicated that she got to the hospital much earlier than she really did.

Tags: natasha-richardson-death | natasha-richardson | mont-tremblant | epidural-hematoma

Posted on March 20, 2009
Permalink | Subscribe |