Natasha Richardson has died.. per CNN n/t

this tragedy illustrates that very well.

So young. :(

I don't have any words...

very scarey... all you have to do is hit your head in a particular manner, hard enough.

but can see why any parent would get scared from reading about this incident. I was hit in the head with an aluminum baseball bat, and lucked out this never happened to me. We truly are fragile.

I'm still not clear on how the fall gave her 'major head trauma'

you'd understand. And nobody but downhill racers and ski jumpers wears a helmet when skiing. Certainly not beginners. They don't need to. This was just a freak thing.

I'm a regular and pretty decent skiier at one of the biggest ski areas on the East Coast (Sugarloaf, in north-central ME) and I was looking around today thinking about this, probably 99.5% of people there had helmets on. Beginners, intermediates, experts, ski patrol, instructors, hell, the lift jockeys have 'em on!

Mine cost $38 at Dick's. Beginners of all people should be wearing them; it's surprisingly easy to topple over and even "soft" well-groomed snow isn't that great a landing surface.

Oh, btw - it's a rare year goes by when a person DOESN'T die from a head injury at Sugarloaf alone, it's happened in 05, 07, 08 and this year.

Literally, I saw maybe 10 people without helmets today out of probably a few thousand people on the mountain. They're cheap, effective and smart.

But in all my many years of skiing at Alta, Park City, Snowbird, Vail, Copper Mountain, Breckinridge, Keystone, Winter Park, etc, and my own several years of racing (amateur) giant slalom, I NEVER saw anybody with a helmet. Seriously. And never wore one myself. How silly. And I only heard of one death of a skier all those years (at a place I skied) - too fast, hit a tree, massive internal injuries.

Times change. Nobody even heard of car airbags back then. So we drove a little more cautiously, knowing the risk of death if we wrecked. I guess skiers put helmets on and ski like lunatics now. That would figure.

Nobody in their right mind would think a ski helmet would help much if you spiral into the trees at top speed (what the deaths I've heard about usually are). Nothing's going to help you with that. They're not terribly overbuilt like a motorcycle helmet; more like a slightly sturdier and larger bicycle helmet. They're more for when you tumble on-piste and smack your head into the hardpack. Nobody wore them when I was learning to ski in the mid-90s either; I'd guess the rise is a combination of enhanced awareness of how even seemingly small impacts can be deadly, the new "freestyle" aspect of skiing and boarding where a helmet is de rigeur, and economy of scale bringing them down to less than $50 (almost insignificant compared to the rest of the gear).

Incidentally, skiiers today are less "lunatic" than ever. Shaped skis have made it a whole lot easier to be cautious and stay in control, even with some good speed; long gone are the days of novices pointing 200cm skinnies down the fall line and knocking over a ski class like tenpins. Responsibility's the name of the game these days, the "code" (stay in control, downhill skiiers have the right of way, don't impede traffic and stay in the ropes) is prominent and generally obeyed.

What sanctioning body let you race without a helmet, even in the 80s?

Is the "Blue Ox Lodge" still around ? A friend used to own it.

If so then no, there's Bullwinkle's, Widowmakers, Bag&Kettle, Black Diamond Burritos, Double Diamond Steakhouse, Shipyard Brewpub, Java Joe's, Off the Rack...don't know about up Stratton ways though.

:(

I wonder if we'll get the complete story of what happened?
The current story doesn't make any sense.

Safe passage to her.


:cry:

next to my office died after a minor injury several years ago. She took a fall at home (was in her early 50s) and apparently broke a rib. She was a little overweight so the extent of injury was not really obvious to her. She was in a lot of pain, so laid down on the sofa to rest after taking painkillers. Fell asleep and was found dead there the next AM by her father, who had the print shop with her. A splinter of broken rib had lacerated an artery in her chest and she bled to death internally in her sleep.

Stuff happens.

compassionate person whose priorities were inspiring to others.

R.I.P.

Best to her loved ones.

I am so sad to hear this...

My heart goes out to her husband, and her two sons...

And the rest of her family...

Safe passage to her.

She has two sons, both in their early teens. It'll be tough growing up without a mother. Her husband is probably distraught.

Jeeze, she had 2 boys the best that I remember, and hugs to them, her husband, and all family. I'll light a candle and send out positive vibes for her family.

I can't help but think of Liam Neeson's portrayal of a grieving widower in "Love Actually." Now he's living the part.

I love that movie and he was wonderful in it.

As well as for the families and friends of the four teenagers who tragically died in a car, nearby my residence, a couple of days ago while going to pick up a pizza by a recklessly speeding drunk driver, who was observed to be very intoxicated and belligerent at a home by the local police, a mere few hours before she got into a van and drove off into (localized) infamy.

Life w/o parole is far too lenient of a punishment for her, IMO.

Natasha Richardson, a Tony Award-winning actress whose career melded glamorous celebrity with the bloodline of theater royalty, died Wednesday in a Manhattan hospital, where she had been flown suffering from head injuries after a skiing accident on Monday north of Montreal. She was 45 and lived in Manhattan and Millbrook, N.Y."Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” said a statement from the family. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

Ms. Richardson’s condition had prompted an outpouring of public interest and concern and flurries of rumor and speculation in the news media since Monday, when reports of her accident began filtering out of the Mont Tremblant ski resort in the Laurentian Hills.

Ms. Richardson, who was not wearing a helmet, had fallen during a beginner’s skiing lesson, a resort spokeswoman, Lyne Lortie, said on Monday. “It was a normal fall; she didn’t hit anyone or anything,” Ms. Lortie said. “She didn’t show any signs of injury. She was talking and she seemed all right.”

Ms. Richardson was an intense and absorbing actress who was unafraid of taking on demanding and emotionally raw roles. Classically trained, she was admired on both sides of the Atlantic for upholding the traditions of one of the great acting families of the modern age.

More at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/theater/19richardson.html?hp

I can't imagine her family's pain. :cry:

In the trash-filled world of showbiz, Natasha was a class act all the way. Hope her family finds comfort and strength at this difficult time.

great actress from a family of great ones. thoughts are with the family.

:hi:

rip, natasha.

Especially Liam Neeson and their sons, but also to Vanessa
Redgrave. To lose a child is just devastating, especially
when she was so young and talented and had such a future
ahead of her ...

:cry:

R-I-P Natasha. :-(

change and be taken. R.I.P.

:cry:

RIP Natasha

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, especially Liam Neeson and their sons.

This is so sad.

my thoughts are with her family right now.

I hate shit like this. :(

Peace to her and her family


To those of us still here ..... hug those you love and let them know how you feel. One moment a fun ski lesson and injured the next. Then dead within hours.

husband and two boys. What a horrible loss for them. (Her boys are 13 and 12, btw.)

We gave the DVD of "The Parent Trap" to our daughter last year and she loves the movie (I enjoy it very much too). It will be so sad to watch it now.

Rest peacefully, Ms. Richardson.

....:cry:

Total sympathy going out to her family. This is so tragic.

My condolences to her family.

Sonia

She was a very beautiful and talented woman. My condolences to her family.

I posted a story announcing her death last night, and some were offended. My mistake, but I didn't make it up, either. She and Liam Neeson, along with Vanessa Redgrave, are people I admire, and I like many others are stunned at her early passing.

A tragedy, to be sure. Many others die without celebrity, but this celebrity led a life well lived, and any time we can say that for someone just 45, it's worth noting, and mourning.

some kind miraculous recovery from what news I read ..it seemed like there were different versions.

I even had a dream where she was there and said she was okay and her husband was in it too. I guess that was my dreaming being wishful thinking.

I still don't get how she hurt her head so badly on snow but that will all come out.

Sweet sweet Natasha Richardson O8)

Ice can get you, it is like a rock. It is a shame that a helmut may have prevented this, but it is easy with 20-20 hindsight. CNN has something they call "Talk and Die Syndrome" on their website. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/18/brain.injury/index.html . The head injury must have been serious enough for them to transport her down the mountain and stay with her. We don't know what happened, but obviously they were concerned.

I had read that report that you link. I've been reading everything I can about her tragic accident.

We had a friend who was a marathoner and the very definition of fitness. A dog ran in front of his bicycle, he fell and hit his temple on a rock, he died instantly. I have to say that I really feel for the medics in this situation. My husband is a paramedic, you can insist on staying with a patient who refuses intervention, but you cannot transport them unless they lose consciousness. He lost a young boy whose family refused intervention because of their religion. They did everything they could to get permission to transport, sat in the driveway for hours. He died during the night and it was devastating to the medics and nearly resulted in my husband leaving the profession. The irony in this case is likely that she refused treatment because she didn't want a media circus.

situation was better than the media was letting on.

I heard that Liam was holding her pale hand and stroking her cheek when he rode with her in the ambulance. Broke my heart to think about it. I can't help but think about his character's circumstance in the movie, Love, Actually grieving his wife.

May he and their sons find comfort some way.