Natasha Richardson Dies Of Head Injury

Tragedy turned to tears for one of the acting world’s great families Wednesday night when Tony award-winning actress Natasha Richardson died from the head injury she sustained in a Quebec skiing accident. She was 45 years-old.

Ms. Richardson was the wife of actor Liam Neeson and the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave. She suffered the injury Monday.

“Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” Richardson’s family said in a statement. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”

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A statement from the Mont Tremblant resort said Richardson fell on a beginners trail and later reported not feeling well.

“She did not show any visible sign of injury but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor,” said the statement from the resort, about 80 miles northwest of Montreal.

Neurosurgeon, Dr. Wendy Wright, told CNN that a blood clot, which is what Ms. Richardson is believed to have died from, is not uncommon after seemingly harmless head trauma.

“When we hear a story like this we immediately think of a condition where there is bleeding between the skull and the brain” Wright said. “It’s fairly common to have what we call a “lucid interval” where they are feeling fine for minutes or even a couple of hours and then suddenly they’ll start to have headaches or sleepiness or dizziness as the pressure from that blood clot builds up - and once the pressure builds up it can be rapidly fatal.”

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