Could a Helmet Have Saved Natasha Richardson? Doc Wild Weighs In

The New York Times just posted an article reporting the chief medical examiner's assessment of what killed actress Natasha Richardson, who took a fall on Monday during a beginners ski lesson at Mont Tremblant Ski Resort in Quebec. The autopsy indicated that Richardson died of a brain hemorrhage caused by "blunt impact." After her fall, the actress initially turned down medical treatment. Later a "crushing" headache caused her to seek care. She died on Wednesday at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital.

How would this event have played out if Richardson had been wearing a helmet? We asked our go-to adventure-sports columnist, Doc Wild, or Christopher Van Tilberg. M.D., who specializes in wilderness, travel, and sports medicine, to give us his thoughts:

"Do helmets save lives? Sure. We wear them biking, climbing, playing hockey, and kayaking, but they have yet to become universally accepted with skiing and snowboarding. They may not offer fail-safe protection from a high-speed collision with a stationary object like a tree, but they certainly offer some protection for impact with rocks and ice while carving the slopes. 

"In the case of Natasha Richardson, it's hard to say whether a helmet would have saved a life. An internal bleed inside the head occurs when the brain gets shocked inside the skull. That can happen when the brain gets jostled, even thought the impact may be minor, or the impact is against a soft surface. Sometimes this occurs with football players, who wear a helmet and hit soft turf, but still sustain a brain bruise or bleed.

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Comments

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the loss of Natasha Richardson makes me re-think my resistance to wearing a helmet while skiing

[juicer]

I think she could have been saved by the helmet. Let's take the case of the football players, they get hit every time severely, but rarely, very rarely does one die on the field, I am not sure it ever happened. So we can assume that wearing a helmet is factor that allow them to not get severely injured

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[sessilepolyp.com]

was very interesting information for Natasha Richardson? This situation is very educational person learns to not make the same mistakes.

[Oakley Ski Goggles]

Weearing helmet can be uncomfortable but you have to think along about your safety.

[Electric Bicycles]

Well, i am not going to say that a helmet could have saved him but we all know that we are better off in any sport with a helmet on, and it sure have saved lives before.

[Ski Goggles]

So sad to know about Natasha's death and it's even more drastic that her life could be saved if she would have worn a helmet while taking her skiing lessons. Infact, this news has made many skiers including me to be careful in future and to wear our helmets while skiing.

[Ajlouny]

I remember skiing not so long ago and the only thing that I thought about placing on my head was a cute hat that would go well with my ski outfit. Helmets never played into the slopes and what I wore. Now that I heard about the unfortunate death of Natasha, I have second thoughts about getting on any slope without protective gear.

[Jack Kowalski]

Having skied and biked all my life, I never thought about using a helmet at all. It was only the births of my children that gave me pause for reflexion. If I want them to protect themselves, I should probably set a good example. Trying to build them a hockey rink, I pushed the envelope a bit further and began to encourage all motorists to wear safety helmets in the car. Visit www.drivingwithoutdying.com

[Colorado Ski Vacations]

Helmets save lives, there's no doubt about it. Just strap one a helmet on no matter how ridiculous you look.

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the loss of Natasha Richardson makes me re-think my resistance to wearing a helmet while skiing

[Allie Comeau]

I believe a helmet would have helped in Richardson's case because she simply fell and hit her head. The helmet would have/should have cushioned the back of her head from the ground. And, of course, she should have had immediate medical attention. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but hopefully people will learn from this tragic situation.

[Chris]

My son who is an excellent skier, had a bad fall this season on a moderate blue run when he hit an unmarked jump on a day with very poor visibility and flat light. He suffered a concussion and was taken down the mountain for a medical evaluation where he was found to be OK. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet (as everyone in my family does). The doctors who examined him noted that the worst accidents they see are when skiers/boarders don't have helmets. Also the stats I have read show a 35-50% reduction in head injuries annually as helmet use as increased. While I can't say for sure how effective the helmet was for my son, I'm really really glad he had it on.

[Bill McCollam]

It's tragic - but it's not really about helmets. It's not clear at all that that would have made a difference. It's just a statistical outlier.

[Tom]

"The latest helmets have come along way in terms of style and comfort."

Agreed. But not in terms of protection. Ski helmets do a terrible job of warding off concussions, which is a bigger concern at ski resorts these days. The foam used is too hard for the most common injuries yet still inadequate for the high speed impacts typical on blue runs. Stop catering to Giro, Smith and other advertisers and take a serious look at ski helmets before giving blanket endorsements.