Liam Neeson's wife Natasha Richard dies in a ski accident.

[Nell]

UPDATE: It remains unclear exactly how sick Natasha Richardson is after yesterday's skiing accident, but it is believed that she has now been moved out of Canada.

E! News quotes a spokesperson from the hospital where she was being treated as saying, "I was informed by the family's rep…she has left Canada and the family should give [out] more information by tomorrow."

A family friend also told E! that the star is being flown back "home," which is believed to be New York City.




Details are starting to emerge about the ski accident that left Natasha Richardson with "critical" brain injuries.

Apparently her fall was pretty minor -- and it was only an hour or so later in the day that she realized something was badly wrong.

Liam Neeson's wife was taking a private ski lesson at about 3 p.m. on March 16 on a beginners' slope at Quebec’s Mont Tremblant resort.


Bloomberg is reporting that she stumbled and fell into soft, wet snow near the bottom of the slope.

The British actress's instructor called ski patrol, according to Entertainment Tonight, but at that point she had no apparent injuries.

In fact, TMZ reports that Natasha was smiling and joking with the patrol guys.

Apparently she refused to see a doctor and said she felt fine.

A source at the hotel has confirmed to ET that the instructor accompanied Natasha to her hotel room, and later on (TMZ says about one hour after the fall) she said she "wasn't feeling well and began complaining of headaches."

It was only then that she agreed to call an ambulance and the hotel dialed 911.

She had been conscious the whole time between the fall and leaving the hotel.

First she was taken to a clinic near the resort, but later transferred to Hopital du Sacré-Coeur in Montreal, according to Bloomberg.

CBC Newsworld television reports that her husband -- who had been shooting a movie in Toronto -- is now by her side.


Reports say she was with their sons Micheal Richard Antonio, 13, and Daniel Jack, 12, are also with her.

http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/12576

now says, "In a devastating turn of events, Natasha Richardson has died after suffering a fatal brain injury while skiing in Canada. A source close to the actress's family confirms to OK! exclusively that Richardson, 45, was considered brain dead, and that it was the decision of the family to take her off life support a couple of hours ago. "The family is devastated," the source tells OK!"

http://www.wwtdd.com/

[Silvahalo]

Natasha Richardson


What a lovely woman so very tragic. I guess you can never know. An accident can seem so innocent of injury and then within hours your dead. She leaves behind children and loved ones...so sad.

My deepest sympathies to Liam Neeson, family and friends. Rest in peace Natasha.

[MadmamainNC]

Lets not forget her famous mother Vanessa Redgrave, aunt Lynn Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson.

I read this earlier on AOL news and was praying the stories got mixed up. The events still weren't clear. One was saying brain trauma, the other was saying she has minor swelling.

I am so fucking sad over this. It breaks my heart.

[totallytoddler]

Fucking Fuck! Are they sure???? HLN was saying it has not been confirmed. OMG...they had a doc on saying these are common symptoms of a clot....(after injury) they are fine at first and then a while later...as the blot starts to clot in the brain...severe headache...and thats it!

So sad...they said she was just on the bunny slope.....I guess anything can happen ...anywhere.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090318/...a_richardson_1

[Aslan]

What a beautiful,talented woman. They always seemed so in love as well.

RIP Natasha.

Her 2 sons and her husband and really going to need all the strength they can get right now

[MichaelJCheaney]

Almost sounds like an aneurysm...I wonder.....Loss of balance...headache...it all fits.

RIP!

[PoongyPrincess]

Poor woman. I've read conflicting reports if she has died or has brain swelling. I'm betting that she had an undiscovered clot break open in her brain, which caused her to fall, instead of the fall causing serious injury.

[akika666]

i agree, its EXTREMELY unlikely that a fall like that would cause a fatal traumatic brain injury. it probably was an aneurysm that burst, that makes more sense.

this is so sad, such a tragedy. my kids were just watching "The Parent Trap" last weekend.

[brokenandtwisted]

OMG...they had a doc on saying these are common symptoms of a clot....(after injury) they are fine at first and then a while later...as the blot starts to clot in the brain...severe headache...and thats it!

I lol'd, I read this as 'the problem is solved'.

Anyway, I've heard conflicting reports on this. She's apparently injured, brain dead and dead...isn't that amazing?

[akika666]

watching news right now, they are going with the brain dead story.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

It's a big mystery. On speculation... I like the speculation because if nothing else, I learn shit. I can always add to my vast store of useless knowledge... never know when it will come in handy...

I can only speculate, but it sounds like something we call the ‘talk and die’ syndrome,” said Dr. Steven Flanagan, director of Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

“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.”

[...]
Flanagan, who has not treated Richardson, said a person doesn't always show outward signs of trauma when suffering a head injury.

“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.”

Symptoms of an epidural hemorrhage include:
— Headache;
— Loss of consciousness;
— Weakness on one side of the body;
— A change in mental status

If the condition is not treated immediately, the person will fall into a coma and “it’s downhill from there,” Flanagan said.

“So you need to get the injury treated immediately,” he said.

“First we would do an emergency CAT scan to find out exactly where the hemorrhage is, and then the patient would need immediate surgery.”

While Flanagan said he doesn’t know exactly what kind of injury Richardson sustained, he said it would have to be a substantial blow to the head.

“If you bumped your head getting out of the car, this wouldn’t happen to you,” he said. “It would have to be a significant injury.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509586,00.html

Symptoms of Brain Aneurysms

Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm Symptoms

Sometimes patients describing "the worst headache in my life" are actually experiencing one of the symptoms of brain aneurysms related to having a rupture. Other ruptured cerebral aneurysm symptoms include:

* Nausea and vomiting
* Stiff neck or neck pain
* Blurred vision or double vision
* Pain above and behind the eye
* Dilated pupils
* Sensitivity to light
* Loss of sensation

Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysm Symptoms

Before an aneurysm ruptures, patients often experience no symptoms of brain aneurysms. In about 40 percent of cases, people with unruptured aneurysms will experience some or all of the following cerebral aneurysm symptoms:

* Peripheral vision deficits
* Thinking or processing problems
* Speech complications
* Perceptual problems
* Sudden changes in behavior
* Loss of balance and coordination
* Decreased concentration
* Short-term memory difficulty
* Fatigue

Because the symptoms of brain aneurysms can also be associated with other medical conditions, diagnostic neuroradiology is regularly used to identify both ruptured and unruptured brain aneurysms.

http://www.brainaneurysm.com/aneurysm-symptoms.html

[MichaelJCheaney]

My Dads Mom died of an aneurysm back in 1946 when they were relatively unknown medically, and I remember at the family gathering growing up asking what they were and the answer was always something in her head exploded......

Can you imagine the trauma that CAUSED my brother and I?

[KiKi]

this is so sad, such a tragedy. my kids were just watching "The Parent Trap" last weekend.

I totally agree. I was sad because "The Parent Trap" was one of my favorite movies when I was little...it was the only reason why I liked Lindsay Lohan...ever...

[Insomniac]

This morning the news reports are still conflicting. My prayers are with her and her family.

[Nell]

As Natasha Richardson remained in a New York hospital, her family and friends had all but given up hope that she'll recover from a severe head injury.

"There is no chance," a family friend told PEOPLE on Tuesday night. "It is a fact that her heart is beating but she is brain dead."

Her dire condition – doctors described it to those close to Richardson as "leakage of blood between the brain and skull," the friend says – has the actress's family coming to grips with potentially having to make an unthinkably difficult decision. "It's not official yet," says the friend, "but they basically will detach her."

http://www.people.com/people/article...266350,00.html

So they are saying she isn't technically dead but she is brain dead and they are just saying goodbye.

[Peeperann]

http://www.people.com/people/article...266350,00.html

So they are saying she isn't technically dead but she is brain dead and they are just saying goodbye.

It's just sad that such a young and vibrant woman could just keel over like that. I too am thinking it was some pre existing condition.

I really like Liam. He's a good guy and i'm sure this is a horrifying time for him and sons. And no mother should out live her children...........

[brokenandtwisted]

It's just sad that such a young and vibrant woman could just keel over like that. I too am thinking it was some pre existing condition.

Nah, epidural hemorrhage is highly probable. Didn't immediately seek medical attention, compressed her brain into her brain stem and boom...she's in a coma.

Sad story.

Wear a helmet imo.

[Nell]

She was seen wrapped in blankets, lying on a stretcher, with worried-looking husband Liam Neeson at her side. On Tuesday, Natasha Richardson began the journey from a Canadian hospital to New York, where friends and family were waiting.

The actress, 45, suffered a devastating head injury Monday in a freak skiing accident outside of Montreal. Neeson immediately left the Toronto set of his latest film, Chloe, to be with his wife.

According to representatives of Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Montreal, the couple of 15 years departed together by ambulance at 12:30 Tuesday. Richardson was spotted on the yellow stretcher by a reporter from the Toronto Star, which published the account. The couple were then taken to Elliott Trudeau Airport for a private jet flight to New York, arriving Tuesday evening. They have a home in Manhattan and another outside the city.

According to sources, friends and family members gathered for a vigil in New York to be with Richardson. It was not immediately known whether she was being taken to a hospital or to her home.

Sources tell PEOPLE that Richardson was vacationing with at least one of her two sons when she took a tumble at the Mont Tremblant ski resort. While initially the actress appeared unharmed, an hour later she began complaining of headaches and was rushed into intensive care.

http://www.people.com/people/article...266327,00.html

[Nell]

Actress Natasha Richardson was quietly spirited away from a Montreal hospital this afternoon as speculation raged about the seriousness of her condition after a fall at the posh Mont Tremblant ski resort.

One day after Richardson took a tumble that a resort spokesperson said looked fairly harmless, media reports varied widely about her condition.

Both the tabloid New York Post and FOXNews.com said Richardson was brain dead and had been transported to New York City to be taken off life-support.

Other Hollywood “insider” websites suggested the 45-year-old actress had swelling of the brain.

Josee-Michelle Simard, a spokeswoman for Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, confirmed this afternoon that the celebrity had been a patient but that she left around 12:30 p.m.

Richardson left the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by her husband, actor Liam Neeson.

She has left the country, said Simard, who added that she did not know where Richardson was headed.

A spokesperson at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport said she could not comment because Richardson left Canada aboard a private jet operated by a company that is independent from the airport authority.

A Toronto Star reporter was the only media representative to watch as Richardson, lying heavily-wrapped in blankets in an intensive-care bed, tubes covering her face, was loaded into a yellow ambulance at the hospital shortly after noon.

Neeson was already crouched down inside the back of the ambulance watching as she was loaded. He looked extremely worried.

Handlers asked the reporter to leave.

A nurse who accompanied the family down from the fifth floor intensive care unit later refused to say where Richardson was headed, although it was later revealed she was taken to the airport.

Richardson took a tumble during a ski lesson at Mont Tremblant yesterday.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/603508

[MISSanthropic]

Scary shit. That sucks. Liam's newest movie was awesome.

[PoongyPrincess]

I just thought of something. The papers/sites reporting brain dead vs. those reporting brain swelling are just giving two sides of the same coin. Brain hematoma = brain swelling = brain death. It's just that brain dead is the outcome of brain swelling. (Not every single time, of course).

[Nell]

New York Post columnist Liz Smith, whom TMZ says “is certainly in a position to know” says Natasha Richardson was taken off life support at 1:30pm in New York City. She is survived by her husband Liam Neeson and thier two sons.

http://www.wwtdd.com/

http://www.tmz.com/

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Two things:

One - I know who she is. I had to look him up to make sure he was who I thought he is. I would hate to be referred to as "Bob the Builder's wife Dakota Valkyrie" except to people that only know him. She has a profession that makes her newsworthy all on her own. No offense to you, Nell (only the wording of the title LOL) Your point of reference is different than mine... you probably know more of him

Two - Doesn't this make you wonder a bit about some of the cases we see?? Could this be happening to babies or is there a clear cut difference seen in autopsy? I can't wait until the truth on all this comes out.

[HijabiGirl]

This sounds like a classic epidural hematoma. A little neurology for folks here:

There are arteries in the brain, arteries are high pressure so when they break/burst the symptoms are almost instantaneous. There is a cover over the brain called the dura, think of it as a tarp over the brain and under the skull. There are veins that cover the tarp, veins are low pressure and thus leak at a slower pace. So the symptoms are slower and more insidious.

It sounds like she severed/broke a vein and "felt fine." Once more blood seeped into the space above the dura and under the skull (but had no outlet for pressure) then she began to experience symptoms.

I do not think this is an aneurysm (subdural hematoma) as the symptoms would have been instantaneous and crippling as soon as the artery burst. The headache would've been immediate and inevitably desribed as the "worst headache of my life." (textbook description the patient always give with aneurysm)

Alas I am a lowly medical student and not yet a physician so take it with a grain of salt.

[Nell]

Lol. It was 6pm on St. Patricks Day. I posted it a little tipsy. So I just stole the title off the blog I snagged it from. I am usually whittier. :D

[PoongyPrincess]

Two things:

One - I know who she is. I had to look him up to make sure he was who I thought he is. I would hate to be referred to as "Bob the Builder's wife Dakota Valkyrie" except to people that only know him. She has a profession that makes her newsworthy all on her own. No offense to you, Nell (only the wording of the title LOL) Your point of reference is different than mine... you probably know more of him

Two - Doesn't this make you wonder a bit about some of the cases we see?? Could this be happening to babies or is there a clear cut difference seen in autopsy? I can't wait until the truth on all this comes out.

I'd never heard of her, but I had heard of Liam Neeson. I don't watch many movies.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I'd never heard of her, but I had heard of Liam Neeson. I don't watch many movies.

The reason this was posted was (I'm guessing) because of the freak thing going on. I would paid attention if it said "Jane Doe dies" under the circumstances. If he had to be in the title to draw attention, "Natasha Richard, wife of Liam Neeson, dies in a ski accident" probably wouldn't have struck me as much.

No big deal, just a hangover of my 70's wimmenlibber days. I never changed my name when I married either. He wouldn't change his name, why should I? LOL I'm still his wife - just not famous because I'm his wife.

[Nell]

See, if I had been thinking witty I would have titled it "Natasha Richard falls on the bunny slope and dies. No, I am not kidding."

But that would be insensitive to the incredible LOLZ factor of slipping on the bunny slope, hitting your head on a "pile of mushy snow" and freaking dieing!!!! I couldn't believe the story honestly.

[~Absynthe~]

[nurseronda]

Natasha Richardson is dead, family says.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...,3983806.story