The sudden death of actor and comedian Bob Saget last month at the age of 65 stunned millions. After initial reports that he died in his sleep, we learned this week that the actual cause of death was head trauma. Authorities “concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep,” CNN reported.
What kind of trauma could cause an otherwise healthy 65-year-old to die in his sleep? That’s the real question, isn’t it? It seems that the extent of the head trauma is more extensive than was originally suggested.
“Some neurosurgeons said that it would be unusual for a typical fall to cause Mr. Saget’s set of fractures — to the back, the right side, and the front of his skull,” reports the New York Times. “Those doctors said that the injuries appeared more reminiscent of ones suffered by people who fall from a considerable height or get thrown from their seat in a car crash.”
The autopsy, however, found no injuries elsewhere on Saget’s body, and the medical examiner ruled that the death was accidental.
Still, something isn’t adding up.
“This is significant trauma,” Dr. Gavin Britz, the neurosurgery chair at Houston Methodist, told The New York Times. “This is something I find with someone with a baseball bat to the head, or who has fallen from 20 or 30 feet.”
CNN contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta agrees. “[If] I knew nothing else about what had happened, you would think that maybe this was someone who had fallen down the stairs and had several impacts to the head or been unrestrained in a car accident,” he said after reviewing the autopsy report. “I mean, it was that degree of force.”
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta examines actor and comedian Bob Saget's autopsy report and says the report reveals what seems to be signs of a significant blow to the head https://t.co/ZExvcfXyTk pic.twitter.com/I0YLeARRW5
— CNN (@CNN) February 11, 2022
Emergency physician Dr. Megan Ranney also believes something isn’t right. “This is not a ‘slip & fall’. This is not a minor concussion. This is MAJOR head trauma,” she tweeted. “My condolences to Saget’s friends & family. I hope that they get answers as to what really happened.” Though, she added she doesn’t mean it was an intentional trauma.
Hi. ICYMI: This is not a "slip & fall". This is not a minor concussion. This is MAJOR head trauma.
My condolences to Saget's friends & family. I hope that they get answers as to what really happened. pic.twitter.com/DtrwEAN1xZ
— Megan Ranney MD MPH 🗽 (@meganranney) February 11, 2022
Others aren’t so sure the injuries were accidental. “No wrongdoing found. Something doesn’t make sense given his severe head injuries,” former AUSA-SDNY Richard Signorelli tweeted.
No wrongdoing found. Something doesn't make sense given his severe head injuries.
Bob Saget’s Autopsy Report Describes Severe Skull Fractures https://t.co/0gXBPWg7wt— Richard Signorelli (@richsignorelli) February 12, 2022
Story cited here.
