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Actress Natasha Richardson Dies After Head Injury While Skiing

Mar 18, 2009 Craig Altschul, Editor-In-Chief     Comments (3)

Natasha Richardson at the June 19, 2008 UK premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Photo by Khedara Ariyaratne. Natasha Richardson at the June 19, 2008 UK premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Photo by Khedara Ariyaratne.

Natasha Richardson, the Tony Award-winning British actress, died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan where she had been transported from Sacré Coeur Hospital in Montreal. Richardson received head trauma in a fall in a beginners' area known as the flats at Mont Tremblant, Canada Monday. She was taking a private lesson and was not wearing a helmet.

Richardson, 45, is married to actor Liam Neeson. His publicist, Alan Nierob, confirmed her death in this written statement: "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," the statement read.

A Mont Tremblant spokesperson told the Montreal Gazette Richardson was walking around and apparently feeling fine for an hour after the accident.

The ski instructor was reportedly at her side in seconds and she did not hit anything before coming to a stop, nor was there any visible sign of injury -- no cuts or bleeding. Two ski patrollers assisted her, but she was not put on a stretcher. She walked to her room at the Quintessence Hotel and the patrollers reportedly stayed with her for an hour.

Richardson began to have headaches, and The Gazette reports she was transported to nearby Centre Hospitalier Laurentian. She was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Sacré Coeur Hospital in Montreal.

She is the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. She has appeared in more than 30 movies, including The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan, Narnia Chronicles, and Nell. She won her Tony in 1998 for her role in a reprisal of Cabaret on Broadway. She was set to appear in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music with her legendary mother. Neeson reportedly immediately left the set of a film he was making in Toronto to be with her.

(Editor's Note: A tragedy such as this begs the question of whether her life could have been spared had she been wearing a helmet. That answer, of course, is debatable. OnTheSnow will carry an analysis of the helmet question in a special story next week.)

 

Recent Comments

  • by Paul D. Mar 19, 2009
    Initial reports that I read said she fell face first. Would a helmet have protected her face? This was an unfortunate, freak accident. Reporters are saying that she developed a blood clot in between the brain and the skull, causing the brain to swell. Scary, yes, but it should not make people scared to go skiing or snowboarding.
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  • by Wes Mar 19, 2009
    @ ShiatsuRon

    All good questions, but wearing a helmet is the one factor among all others you describe that an individual can control. Ms. Richardson was receiving a private lesson on a beginners slope. Thus, conditions to avoid -- i.e.: icy areas -- may not have been within the scope of her knowledge. All remaining factors -- e.g.: patroller and instructor statements -- are post-injury, and undoubtedly bound in legalities.

    Still, as you observe, the facts are indeed yet unknown, and experiences are obviously varied.
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  • by ShiatsuRon Mar 19, 2009
    Dear ed...Of course OTS will delve into the helmet question. Why not be concerned with other conditions, such as snow pack quality. Was the slope icy (likely)? Why was a beginner on an icy slope? We know nothing about any other medical condition she may have had, (known or unknown). Ski patrol knew something was wrong from the get go, why else would they have stayed with her in her hotel for an hour. Last time I asked for ski patrol help I was given a plastic bag, told to fill it with snow and put it on my bruises. Why has there been no statement from the patroller or the instructor? Why do we always look at the helmet issue even before all the facts are known?
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