Did Billy Mays Die of a Head Injury?
Billy Mays, the famous pitchman known best for his OxiClean commercials, was on a US Air plane that had a rough landing when a tire blew out on touchdown Saturday. TMZ.com is quoting Mays from a television interview saying he was hit in the head by falling debris. TMZ is also saying the FAA claims Mays wasn't wearing his seat belt.
Mays was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home sometime after the flight landed. Could this be another head injury like Natasha Richardson suffered when she fell during a ski trip near Montreal?
When we're talking about dying from closed head injuries, we are usually talking specifically about the brain. There are basically two types of traumatic brain injuries: concussions and hemorrhages. Concussions are relatively mild injuries that often cause a loss of consciousness (makes the victim pass out) and the victim usually can't remember what happened.
Brain injuries that result in hemorrhage (active bleeding) will often look just like a concussion at first, or they can be so mild to begin with that the victim doesn't even pass out. There are two types of bleeding in the brain: subdural hematoma and epidural hematoma. The bleeding can continue in the brain until death unless surgery is performed to release the pressure.
An autopsy will certainly show if Mays died from a head injury. Until then, it's all speculation. TMZ is reporting that Mays was "acting fine and normal" and was "talking business with his father-in-law." Just because Mays wasn't showing outward signs of injury doesn't mean he felt OK. It's possible he didn't feel well. If head injury does turn out to be the culprit, Mays's death should remind us to listen to our bodies.
If you get knocked out from a blow to the head, call 911 or go to the ER. If you get hit in the head and the pain gets worse over the next few minutes, go to the ER. If your family member or friend is the person that got smacked on the noggin, watch for things like staggering, slurred speech or confusion. If you see any of those, call 911.
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Comments
billy mays was a good man. its a shame that his death is getting no coverage unlike that pervert michael jackson. jacksons getting non stop coverage. billy mays will definitly be missed. that pathetic news organization fixed news is no different than the rest.
i cant belive he died. He was a good person too! I find it weird that he died a few days after micheal jackson.
R.I.P. Billy. I used to think he was annoying until I saw him being himself on talk shows and “Pitchmen”. Seems like a nice guy. As far as his cause of death, who knows? The police reported that his wife said that he was due to undergo hip replacement surgery Monday which had him terrified. Pain meds + sleep aid + apnea = ?? Whatever the cause, it struck him at the peak of his career. He always seemed so happy. “Here’s how to order…”
I am very sorry for the family—I watched him do the interview—he was blinking a lot in the few seconds—and thank god he told someone he was hit—hurt in the plane—might help–No way he Didn’t have seat belt on—they check everyone–
rich in Va.
Just an example of using a name in an article to get hits and high placement in searches. About does this quite a bit…he died of a PE by the way…..
Billy Mays death is a tragedy to be sure but he died of a pulmonary embolus and not a head injury. Perhaps some thought and investigation into the facts should be invested before posting information that may be potentially damaging to an already struggling industry. I say KUDOS to US Air for landing the plane safely without casualties.
This is the first of two posts on the subject. This was written before the autopsy was completed and all we had to go on was Mays’s comments about getting hit in the head.
Read Billy Mays Did Not Have a Head Injury for a discussion about the autopsy results. The cause of death has not been determined, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you are right about the pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary emboli and DVT’s are fairly common following long flights. He could have simply had a heart attack as well.
They say that celebrities die in threes. Which in this case is creepy. Micheal, farrah, and billy died in the same week. But billy will be missed he is actually from near my hometown. I use to hate him untill i actually watched his show i thought he was loud and annoying. I will only watch him and no one else. It really broke my heart and i almost cried when i seen that he died i dunno why lol. RIP billy he will be missed
They did die in threes the same day. MJ, Farrow Fawcett, and Ed McMahon. Billy Mays died somewhat later….and he was nowhere near the celebrity status of those three who have had a tremendous impact on American society and culture….
I still miss Billy Mays! I saw an infomercial last night for Sham Wow! and reminded me how sad it is.