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Natasha Richardson Dies: Controversy After Paramedics Turned Away
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by Tina Kells | March 18, 2009 at 05:07 pm
1008 views | 16 Recommendations | 3 comments
More sad news in the shocking death of actress Natasha Richardson after a freak skiing accident at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, March 16, 2009.
Paramedics were called within hours of Richardson's fall but were turned away from the scene of the accident by the actress without being allowed to examine her. Had the paramedics been allowed to see her Natasha Richardson might not have died.
An hour after the first paramedics were turned away a second 911 call summoned them again. This time Natasha Richardson was in clear distress. She was taken to a local hospital and stabilized then moved to Montreal.
The retreat may have ultimately cost Ms. Richardson dearly. Mr. Coderre, who has 23 years' experience as a paramedic, says victims of head trauma often make the potentially fatal mistake of believing they are fine.
“When you have a head trauma you can bleed. It can deteriorate in a few hours or a few days.
“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.”
Mr. Coderre said an ambulance was called later to Ms. Richardson's five-star hotel near the base of Mont Tremblant. By that point, she was conscious but “wasn't in good shape” and was rushed to hospital.
Natasha Richardson appeared to be mildly injured after she took a fall during a skiing lesson on the slopes of Mont Tremblant. She had not been wearing a helmet when she took a blow to the head. Richardson was laughing and smiling, outwardly she seemed fine, so the paramedics were told they could leave; that turned out to be a fatal mistake.
The sudden and untimely death of Natasha Richardson may have been caused by a rare condition that can occur after an apparently mild blow to the head.
Known as Talk and Die Syndrome (or Walk and Die Syndrome) the well documented condition occurs when blood slowly pools on the surface of the brain. As blood pools between the brain and the skull it puts pressure on the brain itself which can lead to death.
Autopsy results from the New York medical examiner's office show that the Tony-award winning actress died of a traumatic brain injury caused by a blood clot between the skull and the lining of her brain. It was ruled an accident.
Trauma specialists say time is critical after such blows to the head, since blood begins to pool and quietly build pressure on the brain.
Victims of Talk and Die Syndrome present as mildly injured but can deteriorate quickly. Sometimes the deterioration takes hours, and other times it takes a few days, but it is almost always fatal unless caught very early.
A routine examination for concussion, which could have been performed had the paramedics been allowed to see Natasha Richardson immediately after the accident, might have caught the leakage early enough to save her life. Talk and Die Syndrome can be mitigated if the injury is immediately addressed.
The timeline shows that it took crucial hours before the 45-year-old mother of two received specialized medical help that might have led to her recovery. She was not wearing a helmet when she struck her head in what the New York medical examiner termed a “blunt impact.”
Experts say victims of head trauma frequently feel no immediate symptoms. In a process known as “lucid intervals,” they feel fine despite the fact that blood buildup is forming within the skull lining.
Yet patients can be saved with prompt medical intervention. If the problem is diagnosed quickly, surgeons can relieve the pressure on the brain and stop the bleeding.
“Time matters in these cases. The sooner you get treatment, the better you'll do,” said Dr. Judith Marcoux, a neurosurgeon with the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal. “Initially you may not feel much, but as time goes by, the blood accumulates more and more and the blood clot gets bigger. By the time you feel symptoms, it can go really fast.”
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 19:30 on March 18th, 2009
Thank you for your story Tina. I picked the following explanation of Talk and Die Syndrom up at ireadbuzz.com.
“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. 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.â€
at 00:41 on March 19th, 2009
she may have still died, but I think if people bang their head during a sport activity they should have it checked out at a hospital....
at 13:30 on March 19th, 2009
This is truly an appalling tragedy. So terribly sad. I hope that wearing a helmet while skiing will become mandatory.
I am a bit confused by this report. You say that the paramedics were turned away from the scene of the accident and that Natasha Richardson may not have died if they had been allowed to see her. But you do not say who turned them away and did not allow them to see her?
at 14:30 on March 24th, 2009
To Maureen - Natasha refused the ambulance. We know this because she signed a waiver to that effect. She also declined to stay in the resort's infirmary, which is equipped to observe skiiers who have hit their heads.