Epidural Hematoma confirmed as cause of Natasha Richardson death

New York City medical examiner’s office announced Thursday afternoon that an autopsy had confirmed that actress Natasha Richardson had died of a Epidural Hematoma.

An Epidural Hematoma is a type of traumatic brain injury in which a buildup of blood occurs between the dura mater (the tough outer membrane of the central nervous system) and the skull. The condition can be deadly, and is present in 1-3% of all head injury cases.

Although the death has been ruled accidental, reports suggest that had Richardson obtained medical assistance immediately after her fall, the chances of her dying may have been less so. The problem was that Richardson suffered from talk and die syndrome, in that there were no immediate symptoms of a serious issue in the immediate hour after the fall.