Quebec Docs Push to Make Ski Helmets Mandatory

Grab a bike helmet if one is coming, say Alabama researchers

(NEWSER) - A cheap, practical, and easy way exists to reduce injuries during a tornado, say researchers at the University of Alabama: Wear a helmet. Strapping on a motorcycle, bicycle, or football helmet in a pinch could provide crucial protection, especially considering that head injuries are such a common cause of tornado deaths, the researchers write at the UAB website . They want the CDC to begin incorporating the advice into its preparedness warnings, reports the Birmingham News . More»

Helmets required for anyone under 18, and ski areas would be responsible

(NEWSER) - Two bills making their way through the California legislature would give the state the strictest US regulations governing helmet use while skiing or snowboarding, and dramatically shift responsibility onto resort operators. The first bill would require anyone under 18 to strap on head protection, and subject parents to a $25 fine if they don’t. That bill has at least middling industry support—apparently because the other bill is so draconian. More»

Actor talks for the first time about wife's death

(NEWSER) - Liam Neeson and his boys are “taking each day as it comes,” he tells ABC. In his first interview since wife Natasha died in March, Neeson says his two sons, ages 13 and 12, are “getting along as best they can." The actor says he's "still getting extraordinary condolence letters from American people that's deeply touching," and that outreach helped cinch his decision to become a US citizen. More»

(NEWSER) - Doctors in Quebec, where Natasha Richardson took her fatal ski-slope tumble, have been arguing since the 1990s for emergency air transport that might have saved her life, CNN reports. Care was delayed not only by the slow manifestation of symptoms from the epidural hematoma she suffered, but also by the lack of helicopter transport. She did not arrive at a qualified hospital until 6 hours after the accident. More»

$10 helmet could have saved actress' life

(NEWSER) - Natasha Richardson turned down a $10 ski helmet that could have saved her life, workers at the Mont Tremblant ski resort tell the Sun. Employees say the actress was cheerful but a little nervous ahead of the ski lesson that led to her fatal fall. She told staff she wasn't a good skier but declined the offer to rent protective headgear. More»