TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The death of comedian, Bob Saget last month has left many with questions about what happened. Earlier this week, a medical examiner in Florida confirmed that the 65-year-old died from head trauma just hours after a performance during a comedy tour.
Saget’s family believes that he accidentally hit the back of his head, didn’t think much of it, went to bed, and never woke up.
KGUN 9 caught up with Carondelet neurosurgeon Dr. Eric Sipos to find out more about the warning signs. Headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, weakness, dizziness, and blurred vision are some of the symptoms the injured and loved ones should pay attention to. Dr. Sipos also says it is a good idea to have someone check on you every two hours on the first night after a head injury to make sure you wake up.
"In older people it's very common for a delayed accumulation of blood. It can develop as a chronic slowly progressive problem, even after a minor head injury that you might not even remember,” Sipos said.
Carrie Collins with the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona says the situation with Bob Saget is more common than you might think.
"Unfortunately, that’s a story that will play out in homes across America as over 1.5 million Americans have a brain injury every year and half of those are from falls. It really speaks to our lack of community knowledge about brain injury and not understanding when to elevate to a medical visit or emergency intervention. 50,000 people from Arizona present in an emergency room every year for head injury and just under 2,000 die,” Collins said.
The bottom line is if you experience a head injury don’t ignore especially if you’re alone, because it can sometimes mean the difference between life and death. Treatments can range from medication to surgery if needed.
"If someone is sleepy after a head injury and goes to bed thinking everything is fine and doesn’t wake up it's too late, so we have to have someone who cares about check on us to make sure you're okay,” Sipos said.
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