R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

[Peshkwe]

Watching Larry King live and he has a special edition going on with a neuro surgeon and others talking about Natasha and how and why a head injury that seemed not a problem turned into the worst kind of problem.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movi...it.richardson/

[LikaNui]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Such a sad sad shame.
Many of the media have been wondering how such an injury could happen to someone on an easy beginner-level "bunny slope." Apparently they're not skiiers. Chances are high that the snow in the area was hard-pack and icy, which makes it as hard as concrete. If Natasha fell hard enough and banged her head on it hard, as she obviously did, then a brain injury is not unusual.
In any event, thoughts and sympathies to her friends, family, and especially to her children.

[Peshkwe]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

It doesn't take much to tear the blood vessels on the surface of the brain. Adults can get almost like 'shaken baby' type tears from a sudden brain slosh.

It's not so much how hard the landing surface was, it's more on how sudden the stop was that does the damage.

The neurologist also mentioned that the fall may have been a symptom of something going on in her head before the actual landing, that the autopsy and previous CT scan results might show a small anurisim(sp?) or something else going on and the fall aggravated it..

[tutusue]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

This is just so scary, not to mention sad. Richardson appeared fine for about an hour after the fall; joking around, said she was fine, no problem...'til she got a headache. Damn, life can be so fragile.

The Today Show had a doctor on this morning discussing how what appeared to be a non-serious bump to the head could turn so serious so fast. A friend of mine bumped his head and ended up with epilepsy. And, I think about a bump on the head I took a few months ago. Scary, considering what I know now. Glad I didn't know it then. Of course, ignorance isn't always bliss.

RIP, Natasha, and may the passage of time bring peace to the family.

[Composite 2992]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Professional fighters and other full-contact atheletes (football players for example) can also develop long-term brain damage from impacts that might seem relatively harmless.

In the short term they might get a concussion or slight dizzyness. But in the long term dementia-type symptoms start to appear.

And then there are victims of bombings. Sometimes there are no external injuries apparent. But the shockwave can cause a sudden increase of blood pressure that causes aneurisms in the brain.

Yep, life is fragile. The head is definitely something worth protecting!

[buzz1941]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Does anyone know if the skiing fall and the sudden death are actually related?

[Peshkwe]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Does anyone know if the skiing fall and the sudden death are actually related?

From what I've been picking up, they won't really know until the autopsy is completed.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

I used to see her movies on the Bravo channel when they were showing British films.

[Kaonohi]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Sometimes it's not "how hard" but "what angle (direction)" the impact occurred.
My dad tripped in a Kaiser hallway trying to follow an impatient attendant and died from it.
I fell 25 feet and got a small brain bleed with minimal consequences.
A friend fell 20 feet, landed backwards, and died instantly.

We don't acknowledge how fragile, and yet how resilient, we are, or can be.

Best bet? Protect your head!

[Adri]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Does anyone know if the skiing fall and the sudden death are actually related?

Per MSN, the autopsy showed that her death was caused by the fall.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/article...7841&GT1=28101

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

I thought a person's skull would be at its softest in the development when you're a small kid. I don't know how many times I got a tunko from hitting my head or falling down as a small kid.

[Amati]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

Some interesting info from the website:
http://www.sendemissary.com/An-Emiss.../hematoma.html

Intracerebral Hematoma (bleeding inside the skull):

• Each year in the U.S. alone, one million people are seen in emergency departments because of it. Eighty-thousand Americans will end up with significant disabilities due to it and some 50,000 less fortunate will die from it.
• It has been called the “signature injury” of the war in Iraq, afflicting an estimated 7,500 soldiers and countless thousands of civilians.

An epidural hematoma (EDH) [Natasha's type of injury] occurs when a blood vessel, usually a high-pressure artery, ruptures between the outer layer of the dura mater and the skull. It is usually the result of a focused blow from a blunt object such as a baseball bat, and is typically associated with a skull fracture. Epidural hematomas are present in 1-3% of head injuries and tragically end in death between 15-20% of the time.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

What was the most likely theory on how Bruce Lee died?