BREAKING NEWS: Natasha Richardson’s 911 Calls

As friends and family struggle to move on following her death, new light is being shed on the possibly crucial moments that could have changed the fate of Natasha Richardson’s life. The 911 tapes of the ambulance calls following her March 16 fall on the ski slopes on Mont Tremblant resort have surfaced, showing how the actress’ condition quickly worsened.

At 1 p.m., the medic says “10-17”, meaning he arrived after a call to the 911 dispatch center near Mirabel Quebec. “Uhh, we’re still waiting for the patient.”

Eleven minutes later, he says, “There’s a patroller who just went by, who tells me it’s a 10-3 cancelled job.” Despite the recommendation of the ski patrol who first responded to the scene, the actress opted to go back to her hotel instead.

The 911 calls, first obtained by Canada’s Globe and Mail, later show how Richardson’s health rapidly declined. Within hours, another set of medics rushed to the hotel after receiving another call to respond, this one bearing the code “17-Delta-1,” meaning a “dangerous” situation. As the ambulance rushed to the Centre Hospitalier Laurentien in Sainte-Agathe, the medic called Richardson “verbal” (Richardson responded to the medic’s prompts but would drift off otherwise). Her orientation rating was also 0 according the paper, meaning she wasn’t aware of basic details like where she was, what happened, etc.

The actress passed away from an epidural hematoma two days later in New York City surrounded by her family.

photo courtesy of Wenn