Doctors say actress Natasha Richardson could have been saved if medical treatment had come more quickly after her skiing accident.

An autopsy Thursday found that Richardson died from bleeding in her skull caused by the fall she took on a ski slope.

At first, the 45-year-old Richardson appeared fine and nearly four hours elapsed between her lethal fall and her admission to a hospital.

The New York City medical examiner's office said that the Tony-winning actress and wife of actor Liam Neeson suffered from an "epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head, which caused bleeding between the skull and the brain's covering.

Patients with such an injury often feel fine immediately after being hurt because symptoms from the bleeding may take time to emerge.

But Dr. Keith Siller of New York University Langone Medical Center said it's a treatable condition, if the patient gets proper and immediate medical attention.

Richardson, who won a Tony Award on Broadway for "Cabaret," came from a show business dynasty, including her mother Vanessa Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson and late father, stage and film director Tony Richardson.

She married Neeson in 1994. The marriage produced two sons, now ages 12 and 13.

Natasha Richardson's films included "Patty Hearst," "The Parent Trap," "Nell" and "Maid in Manhattan."

Funeral arrangements for the actress are pending.