Tragic hindsight

Epidural hematomata are tricky, because obviously a provider doesn't want to fly into hysterics every time a person hits their head. In addition to the trickiness inherent in the diagnosis, it's generally ill-advised to offer commentary on a case when the details aren't fully available for review. That being said, I have an answer for the following question (via the Times):

The actress Natasha Richardson, who died on Wednesday from a brain hemorrhage after a fall on a beginner’s ski slope in Quebec, was not admitted to a hospital until nearly four hours after her accident, according to ambulance dispatch records obtained by the New York Times on Friday.

[snip]

Those discrepancies seemed to introduce new questions about whether Ms. Richardson, who suffered an epidural hematoma — an accumulation of blood between the brain and the skull — after her fall, could have been saved had she been treated faster.

It serves no purpose to add to a family's grief by looking back on what could have been done differently. I do not know what Ms. Richardson was advised, how strongly, and by whom. But, coincidentally, I just read about treatment of epidural hematomata while doing some continuing medical education. Swift neurosurgical intervention can dramatically affect a person's chances of survival. I suspect quite strongly that, had she made it to Montreal in time, she would have survived.