Litigation

Autopsy Results Confirm that Death of Natasha Richardson Could Have Been Averted

By Michael Kaplen

An autopsy of the actress Natasha Richardson conducted by the New York City Medical Examiner has concluded that that she died of a brain hemorrhage caused by ?blunt impact? to her head.
 
The autopsy suggests that the fall tore an artery in Ms. Richardson?s head, resulting in bleeding in an area between the skull and the lining covering the brain, called the dura mater. The official cause of death was an epidural hematoma.

A hematoma is a collection of blood, and epidural in this case refers to the space between the skull and the dura.
 
As I discussed yesterday, there are serious issues concerning the delays by both the ski area and the hospital in obtaining proper medical care for Ms. Richardson since, if surgery is performed quickly, there exists a significant probability that she would have made an excellent recovery.

An epidural hematoma may result from an injury to a blood vessel in the dura area of the brain. Often a blow to head can cause a laceration of an artery. The tear can cause a great deal of bleeding eventually leading to dramatic pressure changes within the brain as there is no place for the blood that is accumulating to go. Quick action to evacuate the blood is necessary in order to save the patient?s life.
 
If delays in prompt surgery were due to the conduct of ski area personnel in improperly turning away an ambulance that responded to the scene or in failing to properly monitor Ms. Richardson, they may be liable for her death. Similarly, if the hospital where she was first take failed to promptly take a CT scan and remove the pressure on her brain, they may be guilty of medical malpractice.

Unfortunately, the brain injury law firm of De Caro & Kaplen, LLP has been called upon to represent individuals who have suffered tragic injury as a result of the failure to timely diagnose and treat brain injury.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on March 20, 2009 (boomark / email).