Was Ski Resort Negligent In Natasha Richardson's Death?
According to a new report from the Canadian Globe And Mail, previous reports about actress Natasha Richardson's treatment after a fall at ski resort Mont Tremblant on Monday were grossly inaccurate.
The initial reports after the accident had resort officials stating Richardson was transported to a hospital by ambulance one hour after her fall, but that has now been found to be untrue. In reality, it was almost four hours before Ms. Richardson was taken to the hospital. Here are the details from the Globe and Mail:
Nearly four hours elapsed between Natasha Richardson's lethal fall at Mont Tremblant and the actor's admission to a local hospital, a delay that raises questions about whether more rapid treatment might have saved her life.Autopsy results from the New York medical examiner's office show that the Tony Award-winning actress died of a traumatic brain injury caused by a blood clot between the skull and the lining of her brain. It was ruled an accident.
Trauma specialists say timeliness is important after such blows to the head, because blood begins to pool and build pressure on the brain. But records show lengthy delays from the time of Ms. Richardson's injury to her admission to the local hospital, and, finally, to a specialized hospital in Montreal - a city without an air ambulance - about seven hours later.
According to Yves Coderre, a paramedic and ambulance manager who has reviewed dispatch records, the first 911 call from Mont Tremblant in response to Ms. Richardson's accident was made at 12:43 p.m. Monday.
Mr. Coderre, whose company, Ambulances Radisson, serves Mont Tremblant, says medics arrived at the hill 17 minutes later, or at 1 p.m.
At that point, the injured actress refused medical attention, he said. The ambulance staffers left after spotting a sled taking the still-conscious Ms. Richardson to the resort's on-site clinic, Mr. Coderre said.
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