NEWS: Family Keeping Natasha Richardson On Life Support
Mar. 18 2009, Published 10:13 a.m. ET
Natasha Richardson has been on life support for nearly a day so that family and friends could say their goodbyes to the actress at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, RadarOnline.com has learned.
It was the family's decision to keep Natasha, 45, alive via life support. "Everyone has been praying for," said a family friend. "Especially her devoted husband Liam Neeson, who hasn't left her side the entire time."
The resort in Canada where Richardson was injured says that Natasha refused medical treatment. In a statement from Mont Tremblant in Quebec, where Richardson had been skiing Monday afternoon, spokeswoman Lyn Lortie told RadarOnline.com: "At 12:30pm on March 16, 2009, actress Natasha Richardson fell on a beginners trail while taking a ski lesson at Station Mont Tremblant. At the time of the incident the resort was experiencing spring weather conditions, the visibility was clear, the temperature was approximately 10 degrees Celsius, and winds were light. Ms. Richardson was not wearing a helmet. Ms. Richardson was accompanied by a veteran female ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol."
"The first ski patrol members, including one paramedical staff member, arrived on scene within minutes. The ski patrol examined Ms. Richardson and did not find any visible sign of injury. As standard protocol, the ski patrol insisted that Ms. Richardson be transported to the base of the hill in a rescue toboggan. Once at the base of the hill, Ms. Richardson was advised by staff to consider seeking additional medical attention which was declined. The ski instructor as well as the ski patrol accompanied Ms. Richardson to her hotel at which point they again advised that she should be seen by a doctor."
As a precautionary measure, the female ski instructor stayed with Ms.Richardson at her hotel but "approximately an hour after the incident Ms. Richardson reported that she was not feeling well. An ambulance was called and Ms. Richardson was transported to hospital."
Sources tell RadarOnline.com that Richardson may have suffered from a subdural hematoma that was not initially discovered upon examination and that she should have undergone either a CT scan or MRI.
Dr. Yousef Mohammad, chief neurologist at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus tells RadarOnline : "A cat scan taken immediately would have detected the hematoma. She would have avoided this condition had she gotten treatment earlier."