Death of Natasha Richardson - Head injury/Brain injury

Recently Natasha Richardson passed away from what was described as a mild head injury. Natasha Richardson is a Tony award winning actress and wife to actor Liam Neeson. Obviously head trauma is a very serious safety concern, so why was it described as mild? Simply put there is nothing mild about any type of head injury. The actress was skiing at the time and fell, supposedly on a beginner’s slope. In the report she was noted to have refused medical treatment. Death from such a minor accident is extremely rare however it is always highly recommended to receive treatment. If you have been injured you may not know how badly injured you are. So many injuries have very little symptoms or symptoms that may take time develop. The same can be said for automobile accidents where the head is severely moved or strikes something inside the vehicle.

Any blow to the head that causes a headache should be immediately treated. Doctors estimate that approximately 75% of head injuries are labeled as mild. However many of these case have serious symptoms such as memory loss, changes in attitude, inability to walk and complete day to day tasks. Do not assume these symptoms will go away with time, stop what you are doing – have someone drive you to the emergency room. Closed head injuries can have insidious consequences which are often missed in the original diagnosis.

Epidural hematoma is bleeding between the skull and outer layer that covers the brain. The blood clots and puts pressure on the brain. Eventually the brain is pressed down until it is unable to perform vital tasks such as breathing. An epidural hematoma is treatable by draining the blood that is bleeding. Immediately after the accident Richardson was talking and felt as if the injury was not severe. About an hour later she developed a head ache. If at that time she went to the emergency room she may have had enough time to have been properly treated. With this serious tragedy our heart goes out to the family of Richardson. We also wish that others who read this please take special care and if injured (even if you believe its minor) please get treated. Of course any treatment should be reasonable under all the circumstances. But, having a base line exam can be very helpful in determining the ultimate diagnosis and establishing the causal connection between the injury and the cause of the injury. Please do not underestimate the possible consequences of what might at first seem to be a minor head injury. Being careful and getting immediate treatment just may very well save your life.

Unfortunately in 2000 the actor and husband of Natasha Richardson was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. While he was riding his motorcycle he hit a deer just outside of New York city. A nearby driver noticed Neeson on the side of the road and offered assistance. He suffered a broken pelvis but no other major injuries. Fortunately, there was no head injury although such injuries are very commonplace in motorcycle accidents.