Actress Natasha Richardson 'brain-dead' after skiing accident

[BertRoot]

Actress Natasha Richardson 'brain-dead' after skiing accident


Richardson met Neeson in 1984 and they married in 1994

James Bone in New York

div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } The actress Natasha Richardson was reported to be “brain-dead” last night after suffering a severe head injury in a fall during a skiing lesson in Canada.
Richardson, the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson, was admitted in critical condition to the intensive care unit of Sacré Coeur Hospital, in Montreal, late on Monday. Last night she was taken by ambulance and flown out of the city on board a private jet bound for the US, apparently New York.
There were conflicting reports, however, with the New York Post citing friends as saying that she was “brain-dead”. The celebrity website TMZ.com said that she was sedated and suffering from brain swelling, but was not brain-dead. A hospital spokeswoman refused to comment.
Liam Neeson, her husband, left the set of his film Chloe, in Toronto, to rush to her side. Her family spoke of their distress. “We know that she has had an accident but we really do not know any more details,” said Kika Markham, the wife of Natasha’s uncle, Corin Redgrave. “We are very concerned.”

Richardson, 45, was taking a lesson at Mont Tremblant, or “Trembling Mountain”, a ski resort about 80 miles northwest of Montreal that is popular with celebrities. She fell at about 3pm on Monday as she was skiing on the gentle Nansen slope, which is rated “green” for beginners. She was not wearing a helmet – which is not required by law.
“Ms Richardson was having a private lesson. She fell during the lesson. The ski instructor saw that. She called the ski patrol,” Catherine Lacasse, a spokeswoman for the resort, said. “They checked her out completely. No signs of impact. No blood. She was fine. She was laughing and making jokes. She refused to go to see a doctor. She wanted to go to her room.”
The ski instructor accompanied Richardson to her room at the nearby Quintessence Hotel, where she had been staying since Sunday. The resort asked her to sign a form saying that she did not require medical attention. Soon afterwards the actress was taken ill. “One hour later, she suffered from headaches. She felt she was not feeling well. She accepted to call the ambulance and go to the hospital,” Ms Lacasse said.
Richardson was taken to the Lauren-tien Hospital Centre in Sainte-Agathe and was later transferred to Montreal.
Richardson belongs to one of Britain’s most famous acting dynasties. Her grandparents were the actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She has starred in dozens of films since making her big-screen debut as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell’s Gothic in 1986. She played the title role in Paul Schrader’s Patty Hearst in 1988 and appeared alongside Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright in Widow’s Peak (1994). However, she is better known for her work on the stage. In 1998, she won a Tony Award for playing Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes’s Broadway production of Cabaret.
Richardson met Neeson in 1984 on the set of the TV series Ellis Island. They married a decade later when they co-starred in the film Nell (1994), after Richardson divorced her producer-husband Robert Fox.
The couple, who live on a farm north of New York, have two children – Michael, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12.



http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/l...cle5927970.ece

[Mickey]

Very sad story

[blaggard]

yeah, all over the news this morning, I don't think they've confirmed "brain dead" yet.

[maltloaf]

yea all i've heard is 'critical'

[dpSparhawk]

As a Skiier myself it saddens me to hear of anyone being injured unless they've been a total twat on the pistes and acted like a tit (for example, idiotic spaniards in the Pyrenees). I do not imagine Natasha falls into that category.

It's quite shocking how badly you can injure yourself on the most gentle or technically easy of pistes. Chances are, she's either come down directly on her head or hit an object.

If indeed she is brain damaged, this could be a result of haemorrhaging or bruising and swelling of the brain. Lets hope it's all rumour about the brain damage and that she pulls through.

[B B Leo]

not being funny or joking about this, as its sad. but what kind of instructor was he???? what was he teaching her???

[blaggard]

No helmet apparently.

[B B Leo]

No helmet apparently.

as i saidnot a good instructor then!

[tawny]

No helmet apparently.

I dont think I'd wear a helmet while skiing though. Sounds like it's a bit of a freak accident. She was ok for an hour after it. Just a reminder of how fragile we all are.

[GTI]

Natasha Richardson dies after skiing accident

Guardian.co.uk,
Thursday 19 March 2009 00.12 GMT

British actress, Natasha Richardson, who has died following a skiing acident, in whcih she sustained fatal head injuries. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/Antonio Olmos

The actor Natasha Richardson has died following a skiing accident in Canada, her husband Liam Neeson's publicist said tonight.
A statement released on behalf of the family said: "Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
Members of her family including her husband and her mother Vanessa Redgrave had gathered at her hospital bedside since her accident on Tuesday morning.
The 45-year-old actor suffered serious head injuries after a fall on a beginners' slope. She initially showed no sign of injury but was later taken to hospital after complaining of a headache.
She was reported to have flown home to New York on Tuesday night on a life support machine.
Her sister, Joely Richardson, and sons, Michael and Daniel, were among those seen entering the city's Lenox Hill hospital, where she was being treated.
Neeson had flown from filming in Toronto to be at her side following the accident at Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec. His wife had not been wearing a helmet when she fell.
Richardson was with Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, when they left the Hotel Quintessence and set off for a ski lesson on Monday
The family were on a private ski lesson on the Nansen, a beginner's run. Richardson was at the bottom of the slope in mid-afternoon when she lost her balance and nosedived down the hill. She did not hit anyone or anything before coming to a stop, according to a resort spokeswoman, Catherine Lacasse.
The ski instructor was reportedly by her side within seconds. She showed no external sign of injury or bleeding. "She was laughing and joking and she walked to her room on her own," Lacasse told the Montreal Gazette.
Two ski patrollers stayed with Richardson but after an hour she began complaining of a headache and was taken to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien, not far from the resort.
She was later transferred to the intensive care unit at Sacré-Coeur hospital in Montreal and then flown to New York.
Richardson appeared in several Hollywood films but was best known for her work on the stage.
Born in May 1963, Richardson was educated at St Paul's Girls School in London and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Her extensive experience on stage included a number of Shakespearean roles, among them Ophelia in Hamlet and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In 1986 she won the London Drama Critics' most promising newcomer award for her performance as Nina in The Seagull alongside her mother.
Richardson won the Tony award for best actress in a musical for her performance as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes' production of Cabaret on Broadway in 1998.

Link

[BertRoot]

Sad news indeed.

[dpSparhawk]

as i saidnot a good instructor then!

Not necessarily BB mate. Everyone falls when skiing - Fact!. It's part of learning and there's nothing to suggest anything the instructor did or didn't do culminated in her having this tragic accident.

She could have simply lost control and sometimes when beginners lose control, they forget everything they've been taught, point their skies parallel and crouch - seriously, I've seen it done loads of times. Then pick up speed, then they flail about, catch and edge and bang, they're on the deck or in a tree. The crazy thing about any accident also is that you don't have to be going fast to injure yourself badly.

A number of years ago, in my 9th year of skiing, I caught a ski on a hidden rock under some very poor covering of snow on what is a RED run. I was travelling at probably no more than 6 or 7 mph. I flipped, come down on my left arm, broke my Ulna cleanly and tore the left deltoid muscle severely. I was immobile and dependant on the g/f for about 2 weeks - rather embarrasing at times.

Unless the full story comes out (or already has and I've missed it - apologies if I have), then it's hard to determine who's at fault or whether it's misfortune.

As for helmets, I've only ever seen young children wearing them. Austria, Andorra, France - never seen adults wearing helmets in ski class.

[GTI]

As for helmets, I've only ever seen young children wearing them. Austria, Andorra, France - never seen adults wearing helmets in ski class.

The locals here in Switzerland all seem to wear helmets, some even going as far as spine protective padding. Most of these guys have been skiing since they were toddlers so I'm going to follow their lead and kit the missus and I up.

[dpSparhawk]

I'll certainly never critisise anyone for wearing a helmet. Best to be safe than sorry though I think the whole spine protective stuff is probably way over the top. Next they'll be in kevlar body armor :o)

Ok, skiing is a more risky sport than say walking for example but believe it or not, people are injured walking and in fact, more accidents in ski resorts are the result of falls on icy footpaths, also the result of far too much alcohol intake and other apres ski activities such as dancing (Yes one idiot broke his foot dancing the year I did my arm and shoulder in) and sledding down slopes on big inner tubes.

The amount of actual severe (potentially mobility threatening / life threatening) ski accidents in comparison to the amount of people who ski is very very low.

The more you pad up, the less flexibility you have in your body and the more weight you're carrying = more risk of losing control and falling.

Do it, but in sensible moderation

As I said, there's far more danger from out of control Spaniards and dare I say it... Snowboarders . Those lot grow in trees and fall out of them.. and for some reason deem it acceptable to congregate in a semi-circle in the middle of pistes. A nice big hockey stop and a plume of snow is perfect for that situation as I recall

[thommo]

just seen on sky news she didnt make it.


was looking grim though i thought when they flew her home, if it was bad and she needed treatment that could have helped then they wouldnt have moved her,

early report from friends must have been right and she was brain dead looks like they kept her alive so she could go home.


its a shame and from reading what happened it didnt seem to be anything at the time the affects hit her later that day. just shows dont it you never know when its your time.

[Roach-Rampino]

The actor Liam Neeson said tonight that he was shocked and devastated by the death of his wife Natasha Richardson at a New York hospital after a skiing accident.
Richardson, 45, was reported “brain-dead” after a fall during a skiing lesson in Canada on Monday from which she was initially able to walk away. She was flown to New York from Montreal on Tuesday, wrapped in blankets with tubes covering her face, and taken to Lenox Hill Hospital.
Yesterday, as the famous acting clan gathered by her bedside, it was reported that she had been taken off life support.

Neeson’s publicist then announced her death. “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” Alan Nierob said. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
Neeson, who starred in Schindler’s List, had accompanied her on board the private jet. He is said to have held her hand and caressed her face during the journey.
Wearing a grey wool hat, a baggy jacket, scarf, and jeans, Neeson looked haggard and exhausted with big bags under his eyes as he returned home after the announcement of his wife's death. The actor left the hospital in a black Escalade 4x4 and waved wanly to well-wishers as he arrived back at his West Side home carrying an overnight bag.



More here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5926549.ece