Viswa Vanapalli
In January 2022, actor and comedian Bob Saget’s unexpected death came as a shock to many. The 65-year-old was found unresponsive in his hotel room by a security officer. Bob had been in Florida as part of a stand-up tour and had failed to check out that morning. About a month later, the family has stated that he died due to accidental head trauma. Bob had hit the back of his head on something but didn’t think it was too severe, thereby going back to sleep. It has been confirmed there was no foul play, drugs, or alcohol involved. However, the official cause and manner of death would only be available a few weeks later.
Back in 2009, another beloved and celebrated actor passed away after something similar happened to her as well. Natasha Richardson, the star from ‘Maid in Manhattan’ and ‘The Parent Trap,’ died after a head injury that she misconstrued as a minor wound. So, if you’re wondering what happened in Natasha’s case, we’ve got you covered.
Natasha Richardson’s Accident
Natasha Jane Richardson was an award-winning stage and screen actress from the legendary Redgrave family. After starting her career in theater, she made her foray into films, with her first credited appearance coming in ‘Every Picture Tells a Story.’ Natasha later played the eponymous role in the Broadway revival of ‘Anna Christie,’ a part for which she won critical acclaim. It was also where she met her husband, Liam Neeson. The couple married in 1994 and had two sons together.
On March 16, 2009, Natasha and one of her sons were on vacation at a skiing resort in Quebec, Canada, when something innocuous quickly took a turn for the worse. The 45-year-old was taking a skiing lesson on one of the beginner slopes when she fell, hitting her head. In the beginning, Natasha played it down and joked about it, even refusing medical treatment twice. But everything changed about two hours later.
After an initial check at the clinic, Natasha went back to her room, where she began to have a worsening headache. Despite her insisting she didn’t need a doctor, the officials at the resort called an ambulance. It arrived sometime after 3 PM that afternoon and paramedics noticed her condition had deteriorated, prompting quick action. A few hours later, Natasha was transferred to a hospital in Montreal in Quebec. The doctors realized that she had suffered blunt trauma to her head that caused internal bleeding. Natasha was declared brain dead not too long after that.
Natasha Richardson’s Cause of Death
The actor was taken off life support two days later, and an autopsy was conducted in New York. The medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was an epidural hematoma: there was an accumulation of blood between the brain and the skull. In such a scenario, the damaged artery that is still pumping blood causes pressure that has to be relieved to prevent damage. Since people who have such an injury tend to have periods where they feel lucid and fine, they don’t see the need for treatment. However, the longer a patient goes on without the pressure being relieved, the riskier it is.
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