The actress Natasha Richardson, part of the well known Redgrave acting family – or ‘dynasty’, as some would have it – died on 18th March after having an accident at the Mont Tremblant skiing resort in Canada.
Countless news reports speculated on what had happened, as the initial event itself seemed to be very far from being newsworthy. It seems that she fell while taking part in a proper and well organised skiing lesson. No one else was involved and it would appear that she simply had a mild fall and was unlucky enough to bump her head as a result.
There have since been reports that she refused hospital treatment because she felt fine and didn’t appear to be injured. But as we now know, that turned out to be very far from the truth.
Even though externally she seemed fine, the bump to the head was enough to cause a build up of blood in her brain. Several hours elapsed between her accident and the time at which she finally arrived at the hospital. It is impossible to say whether the outcome would have been different if she had gone straight there. But the faster treatment is received the better the chances are.
One thing which has resulted from the sad demise of the actress – who was married to actor Liam Neeson – is the re-emergence of the call for helmets to become compulsory. It has been reported that the actress wasn’t wearing one at the time of her fall. Had she been wearing one, she may never have lost her life, or even needed to visit the hospital in the first place. We shall never know.
The resort itself is located just outside of Montreal, and is one of the prime spots for enjoying some skiing. Since Natasha Richardson lost her life, many more skiers have decided to protect themselves and wear a helmet. But there is still no law which says you have to do so.
Could this be something that finally occurs in the future though? Every skiing season brings with it a range of accidents, the worst undoubtedly featuring head injuries of the type that Ms Richardson sustained. The fact remains that while it is not a requirement to wear a helmet, many people will be reminded that they too might literally fall victim to a head injury while on the slopes.
So can we expect to see a law brought in soon? The lower part of Austria has taken a step in this direction already. It is now compulsory for children to wear a helmet if they are skiing in that region. That includes those under 14 – but shouldn’t we be protected everyone, regardless of age?
It seems almost inevitable that such a law will eventually come to pass. It just remains to be seen how soon it happens. Unfortunately it won’t be soon enough to save the people who have already lost their lives, but it will save plenty in the future.