I'm mourning a favourite actress, Natascha Richardson.

As events become known, a simple fall, a refusal to be examined by ski patrol medics led to cerebral bleeding and death.

I've had two major head truamas; I knocked myself cold running into playground equippment as a little boy in Scottsdale.

Years later I suffered a tiny skull fracture flipping my lifeboat.

Both times I had IMMEDIATE medical care.

Both times my thick skull held what intelligence I claim from slipping entirely away.

We all 'tough it out' and we all wake up 20 years later with a elbow that won't work.

Please, if you get in a wreck and medical care of ANY level is there don't play tough or feel embaressed.

And those old head injuries let a M escape from my title and prove my point.

And I read it as "a sad reindeer" thinking that maybe santa´s dead.

+1 on the helmet.

A few years ago, I went over the handlebars on my mountain bike. When the dust settled and all senses were reporting in that nothing was broken, I discovered that my helmet was in two pieces. I still shudder think what might have happened without it.

LW

And PLEASE, listen to the advice of the EMS people on scene and do what they ask/suggest. They get the same (usually poor or no) pay whether you do or don't: their satisfaction is in saving lives. Let them save yours. You'll make them happy.

AMEN! About the paychecks, AND job satisfaction. Besides, chances are, they've actually seen a patient like you before, where usually, it's one's first time with a nice head trauma.

Yes, extremely tragic.

My sister was in a car accident at 16 and among the injuries (not the most serious of them) was head trauma.

At age 35, she began suffering a series of seizures and is now on medication for the rest of her life. Doctors said it is fairly common to begin having seizures many years after a head trauma incurred from sports injuries, falls and car accidents.

Her youth at the time of the accident was key to recovering from severe spinal injury but the brain effect would emerge nearly 20 years later.

Natasha Richardson's death will raise awareness of head injury treatment and that will probably save a few lives.

I will miss her as an actress and feel badly for her family, which includes two kids.

Since my concussion from snowmobiling a week ago I can really relate to the need to wear a helmet. I put off going to the hospital for 2 days and should have went immediately; I can still feel pressure in my forehead and my face is still a little numb but most of the pain is gone thankfully.

I read that concussions can be cumulative, so since the accident I have been remembering all the times I have hit my head and not gone for medical treatment. I have been a very lucky man.

My helmet saved my life.

Mike

My brother was using his step-stool to take get some lumber off his garage rafters. When he stepped up he clanged his noodle on the garage door track. It is one of those 1920's East Coast garages where the track is only about 6 1/2 feet off the ground. Needless to say he was seeing stars. As a matter of fact he had to leave work early that night, he only lasted about two hours. The very next day he and I were in the Big Orange Home Improvement Store. We saw they were selling hard hats sporting the logo of our favorite NFL team. He snatched one up. Now every time he thinks about looking up into the rafters on goes the helmet. He has since bonked his noggin a few times without incident. While it has almost turned into a running gag, it is greatly appreciated when I remind him to put on the helmet.

One thing to add:

It's a morbid topic, but I used the coverage of the Richardson accident to initiate a discussion of "end of life issues" with my family. Often people my age don't think to have these discussions, as we're still young and unlikely to die. A tragedy like this one can help people to realize that even relatively young, healthy people, need to have these discussions. Ending life support for a loved one is a horrible decision to have to make, but it becomes a little easier if you know it's what they woud have wanted.

I let my wife know that if I ever suffer a catastrophic brain injury like this one, I'd be smiling from where ever I was watching as my vital organs were harvested to save the lives of others. I encourage others to make the same decision, though obviously your personal belief system will control.

But please, have the conversation.

++++++++1

I've already told my wife to keep it short. Basically, no heroic or extraordinary measures. Like Jesselp I have a strong belief of where I am going and I will like wise be resting and waiting for her to join me.

BTW we had this conversation when were in our early 30's. It should be part of pre-marriage counseling.

Yes, certainly a shocking tragedy. From what little I have read, she didn't seem to have actually hit her head on the ground, which makes the lethal outcome of her seemingly harmless fall on the bunny slope unusual.

Another point that is important to keep in mind is that you could feel totally fine after a head injury. You don't have to be knocked unconscious or see stars to suffer a potentially lethal head injury. When there is bleeding or swelling involved, it could take hours before the bleeding or swelling progresses to the point that any symptoms appear.

Richardson probably felt completely fine at first--"Yeah, I fell down, ha ha!" Which would make it completely understandable that the responding ambulance was told that they weren't needed. Only after some time had passed and the blood from her epidural hematoma collected enough to really start pressing on her brain did she feel any effects, like a headache. If you suspect someone might have a head injury but shows no symptoms, it's still probably a good idea to check on the person periodically for at least 12 hours, even if they're sleeping. Wake the person to check on their condition and mental status. Explain to them to report any symptoms like headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, etc. so someone can take them to the ER to get checked out. Actually, that's one of the ironic things about brain injury--if you go to the ER right after the injury, there might not be anything to find because not enough swelling or bleeding has occurred yet.

This is a whole 'nother topic, but perhaps the Richardson tragedy might raise more awareness of another potentially big problem out there. There are probably a lot of service members coming home, or who have come home, with brain injuries recently who don't know that they are injured and that the consequences are not only physical. These wars, in particular, have exposed soldiers to a lot of concussive forces from land mines, IED's, and other explosives. Even if there isn't a scratch on you, the force of the explosion can literally rattle the brain inside your skull and cause a brain injury. Even mild injuries can permanently affect your ability to concentrate, your emotional control, alter your personality, affect your memory--basically hinder your ability to work, maintain personal relationships, and function as a contributing member of society.

Unfortunately, we don't hear much about it at all in the media since mild brain injuries are still a little understood area of medicine. And there is also probably a lot of psychological trauma in these vets, too, which makes it difficult for people to figure out why someone came home from the sandbox as a different person, can't hold a job, was always loving but just argues with me now, etc. Did this person have psychological problems, or is it actually the consequence of a brain injury? Add the effects of alcohol and substance abuse that too many vets with "issues" resort to on top of that and the true underlying reasons for these problems is hard to see.

Wow, growing up I did every activity you could imagine with little or no protection. But so did everyone I knew. We all got banged up pretty good numerous times, but amazingly nothing too serious.




Great point. I think this goes hand in hand with our societal stigma and lack of resources in general when dealing with mental illness. I've come to understand why many homeless people have mental issues, even those with active, caring families. Most likely they slipped through the cracks. You'd be amazed how few resources there are available when trying to seek targeted, effective help for a loved one.

I have quite a history of head injuries and I wear a helmet on any activity that I could hit my head, which is a lot. I do actually take it with me to the backcountry. I use a Pro-Tech Ace with a newer impact foam called SXP. To take my safety one step farther, I have not played a single team contact sport since 1986. Not even pick up games. A push on the court or an unintentional tackle could be 'all she wrote' if i hit my head.

I have had my skull split open by a garden hoe being chopped into my head. A nice scar creates a new part in my hairline.

At 16 I was in a car accident and suffered massive head trauma in a closed head injury. I lost all my memory and had to learn to read, walk, talk, drive and all my friends and family all over again. Its has shaped my life like nothing before or since. I never recovered my memory. I have no emotional or visual reaction to anything in my youth.

I have had a total of 13 concussions, at least 8 where I have been knocked unconscious. My last was November 2007. It took me 3 months to recover fully.

I was very moved when I heard about Natasha Richardson. While our accidents were different, the following hours were identical. I was lucid and active for about four hours, then started having seizures and blacking out. The next morning i woke up with amnesia and slightly paralyzed from the accident. it took me 1.5 years to become functional and another 6 before i feel I was able to pass as 'normal'

It's a sad thing when a woman is more worried about a safety helmet flattening down her hair so she looks less than perfect when she takes it off, or refusing medical aid because, as an actress, she obviously knows more about head injuries than others.

She was a very pretty woman. Not very smart, but very pretty.

Sue

Now they're blaming it on the lack of an air ambulance. I would think that the real ambulance complete with EMT's would have been a good start. Never turn down a free ambulance ride.