Death raises concerns

Word that actress Natasha Richardson died of a brain injury after falling on a Canadian ski slope earlier this week has skiers and others who may encounter head trauma wondering whether seemingly minor injuries they suffer could lead to disability or even death.

Two local specialists who deal with brain injury say Richardson's fatal accident was somewhat unusual. But they urge those who may wonder about head trauma to either be evaluated by medical personnel or, at the very least, find information online about the signs and symptoms of brain injury.

Autopsy results released Thursday show that Richardson died of epidural hematoma — bleeding between the skull and the brain's covering. The British actress, 45, died Wednesday in Manhattan after falling during a ski lesson at a Quebec resort on Monday. She was the wife of actor Liam Neeson.

Richardson apparently was not examined by paramedics who had been called to the scene, but she later became ill and was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

The National Ski Areas Association's safety page addresses the use of helmets while skiing and snowboarding. Ski officials acknowledge wearing a helmet can reduce or prevent head injuries. The Web site points out that helmets are most effective in protecting a person when the accident occurs at slower than 12 mph. Skiing and snowboarding are actually very safe, according to the Web site, and a person's chances of being seriously injured or dying while doing either activity is less than one in a million.

Miette Murphy, who serves on the board of directors for the Utah Brain Injury Association and is executive director for Rehab Without Walls, said people who have a headache or fuzzy-headed feeling after head trauma should see a doctor.

"If they're starting to experience lapses in memory, are more irritable or are having trouble multitasking, those are warning signs they need to pay attention to."

Susan Macnamara, a rehabilitation psychologist, said those symptoms are easier to identify with adults than with a child. "Kids don't say, 'I'm not remembering as well,' so those self-observations are just harder to get."

While they agree that every bump on the head is not cause for alarm, the two experts said research has shown that brain injury may become cumulative over time, particularly for people involved with contact sports who experience repeated head trauma.