Transcript of Natasha Richardson's 911 Call Released
A week and a half after the death of actress Natasha Richardson, who died after sustaining a fatal head injury while skiing, Canada's Globe and Mail has released transcripts of the 911 calls made from the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec where the accident occurred.
According to these transcripts, on Monday, March 16 at 1pm, a medic responding to the 911 call radioed back to hospital staff with the code "10-17". This means he had arrived at the destination. He then said "Uhh, we're still waiting for the patient." 11 minutes later, the medic radioed again saying, "There's a [ski] patroller who just went by, who tells me it's a 10-3." This means that the job was cancelled. Richardson initially declined treatment.
At 2:59pm, another call was made. This time the case was classified as "dangerous" and they said, "Priority 1, Mont Tremblant...17-Delta-1."
The actress was then rushed to the local hospital, the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Sainte-Agathe. Minutes before 4pm, the on-duty medic described her as "verbal". This meant she responded when spoken to, but otherwise drifted off. The medic indicated her orientation rating was 0, indicating that she didn't know what day it was, where she was, or what happened to her.
After arriving at the first hospital, Richardson was transfered to the Montreal trauma center Hospital du Sacre-Coeur, arriving 45 minutes after leaving the first hospital, at 6:38pm.
A neurologist on duty was overheard saying that Richardson's pupils were unresponsive, which is a sign of advanced brain damage. If she had been transported by a medical helicopter sooner, she may have survived. Richardson died on March 18 at NYC's Lennox Hill hospital.
Comments
A helicopter would only have
A helicopter would only have made a 15 difference in this case, and Natasha was already brain dead by then. With a head injury of this sort, the first hour is crucial. It is a pity Natasha turned away care in that first hour, and failed to wear a helmet. People, wear helmets when skiing, and always get a head bump checked out.
A Function of Awareness, Judgment and Time ...
Follow-up news stories now say there is a clinic staffed with an M.D. close to the Hotel Quintessence at Mount Tremblant. If the ski instructor thought Natasha Richardson's fall was worrisome enough to warrant a call for an ambulance, then why didn't resort staff not have their medical personnel see her and insist that she be checked out and imaged if warranted ASAP? Most people don't understand the danger they could be in and that time is critical after they have "toppled right over and tumbled down the hill" (almost exact quote from early news stories). Many people try to be stoic good sports, particularly when on vacation. It seems the resort deferred to Ms. Richardson, which may have been respectful but misplaced as Ms. Richardson may not have been making good judgments after her fall -- and the resort staff did not know her well enough to judge from her baseline personality.
After the initial tragic decision to cancel the first ambulance, the delay was critical. It sounds like it was already too late by the time she reached Montreal, thus, even a helicopter after Ste. Agathe may have resulted in the same outcome. Could they have done more at Ste. Agathe, i.e., anticoagulating agents? These details have not emerged. Richardson's arrival at Ste. Agathe, and the treatment she received at that small hospital, was critical. This is such a wrenching story. And, it is seems short of a miracle that something like this didn't happened sooner at Mount Tremblant.
In the least call to action from this high-profile tragedy: Helmuts should be mandatory for minors and all beginners. Fine reporting from the Globe & Mail's Ingrid Peritz, et al. on this story.
Canadian in Silicon Valley, California
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Canada cares responsible for Richardson's death? (Canadian re
Canada cares responsible for Richardson's death? (Canadian reply)
youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4McUQs8yQ
I feel that too much is
I feel that too much is placed on whether Natasha should have been convinced of extent of her injuries. Obviously if paramedics where called, taking time out of there day and time away from other potential life-threatening injuries....then it was taken seriously. Ski instructors or paramedics cannot take away a person's right to refuse service. No one knows why she refused service, only Natasha did...she had her reasons that made sense to her at the time. God bless her family, what a sad, tragic situation.
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