What We Can Learn From The Natasha Richardson Tragedy

When tragedy strikes a family in the public eye, one of the first things many of us think is “can that happen to me or someone I love?” Part empathy, part fear, part survival instincts, all those feelings combine and brings a public tragedy very much home. Case in point, the recent passing of actress Natasha Richardson.

While hitting the bunny slopes at a ski resort in Quebec, the 45-year-old actress had a tumble during a private lesson. She got up, laughed about it and reportedly refused medical aid. But about an hour later, she fell ill and was rushed to hospital, eventually succumbing to her injuries from the head trauma.

This is one of those stories that flashes a great big bright warning of “this can happen to you, or someone you love!!!” Especially if you have a clumsy or accident-prone kid around the house. Kids are is an experts at falling, tripping and bumping into this, that or the other. What do we generally do? Make sure there isn’t any blood, give the boo-boo a kiss and then basically brush it off. As the Today show medical expert said with kid’s head bumps, we all brush them off. Now, I for one, will be taking these knocks to the noggin more seriously.

Each year 50,000 people die from head injuries with over a million each year going to the hospital for treatment. Most commonly, with a head injury, the result is a minor concussion, which is generally a “brief or temporary disruption of the brain.” But in rare cases, like with Richardson, the head trauma can cause bleeding or swelling of the brain. Sadly, the symptoms aren’t immediately apparent and the person who fell may be totally lucid and may seem totally fine.

So what should you be on the look out for?

• After a fall make sure the person is coherent. Ask them questions like what is their name, what year is it and who the president is. But if your child is young perhaps ask them what their favorite toy is, what sound does a dog make or other tidbit that they might know.

• Warning signs after a fall – persistent headache, general ill feeling, lethargy, trouble focusing, feeling cloudy

• When in doubt immediately go to the hospital. There they can perform a CAT scan and see if the brain is swollen, has shifted or if there is a hematoma pressing the brain.

• Act fast if there is trauma – time is very important. Every minute counts.

But the best thing to do? Prevention. With this tragedy, there is new attention to the safety must that is wearing a helmet not just when on a bicycle but also when skiing. And now there is a renewed interest in making a helmet a requirement for all skiers.