Actress Natasha Richardson Suffers Traumatic Head Injuries In Skiing Accident (Photos)

Posted on March 17, 2009

Actress Natasha Richardson is being treated for a serious brain injury at a Canadian hospital Tuesday with her husband, actor Liam Neeson, who rushed to be by her side. Read more on Natasha Richardson’s skiing accident below.

Richardson did not appear to be hurt badly after wiping out at around 3 pm on Monday on the bunny slope in Quebec.

“She was awake and alive and laughing and breathing,” said Catherine Lacasse, a spokeswoman for Mont Tremblant Resorts, told Bloomberg News. “She refused to see a doctor. She said she was fine and everything was okay.”

Nastasha Richardson, 45, was accompanied by the instructor and the ski patrol to her room, where she once again refused to call a doctor.

“She said she was fine,” Lacasse said. “She had a headache, she had no signs of impact, no bleeding.”

Then an hour later, Richardson had a pounding headache and “agreed to call an ambulance,” Lacasse said.

Her husband, Liam Neeson left the set of “Chloe,” the movie he was filming in Toronto, and immediately flew to Montreal after hearing of his wife’s accident.

“We know that she has had an accident, but we really do not know any more details,” said Kika Markham, the wife of Richardson’s uncle, Corin Redgrave, told the Associated Press. “We are very concerned.”

In a statement, Neeson’s reps said, “We hope for the best and our thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and Liam and their family.”

Richardson was preparing to co-star with her mother, legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave, in a Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” when she was hurt.

Richardson was in the midst of a private skiing lesson and not wearing a helmet when she fell into what appeared to be soft, wet snow, Lacasse said.

“We recommend it, but there’s no law that obliges people to wear helmets,” she said.

Richardson was taken first to a hospital near the resort and then tranferred to the Sacre-Coeur Hospital in Montreal, officials said.

Many reports have said that Natasha is in critical condition, but the hospital did not confirm that fact.

Richardson and Neeson, who starred in “Schindler’s List” and played Qui-Gon Jinn in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” have had a long marriage for over 15 years, with two children.

We want to send out our best wishes to Natasha Richardson in hopes of a full recovery.

Click Thumbnails for Larger Pictures