Actress Natasha Richardson was injured in a skiing accident

[RICHARD]

We live in a small town that is a ski resort. I have been skiing without a helmet years ago and this year, only on the beginner slopes. We have been looking at getting helmets for me and Greg and now, we'll definitely do that.

Please get helmets.

I have had two M/C crashes that would have severely injured me had I not been wearing a helmet.

A cheap helmet, for any sports activity, is good, if you have the means, PLEASE, PLEASE spend the extra dollars for a good, well fitted 'brain bucket'!

Ask for help when you are fitted with one and if-heaven forbid-you have to rely on your helmet, take it to the dealer and have them check it out or purchase a new one.

Some companies will love to see a helmet that has saved the life of a person and can get some useful data from it. Years ago motorcycle racers who happened to crash were asked to send their helmets back to the factories so they could be studied. Everyone benefits when someone is saved the pain of a long and horrible hospital stay.

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One benefit of this tragedy is that the rules of ski runs/resorts may be changed. In NASCAR racing, a driver who was involved in an accident was allowed to leave the scene and go to his pit area. The rules were changed to
make it MANDATORY for a driver to be escorted by ambulance to an infield medical/hospital area, there they were examined and either released or put into a doctor's care.

Even thought NR was given a private lesson and after her fall, she refused to have any medical attention, hopefully it will be a starting point to change the rules and maybe save someone else the pain of being injured like that.