Saget autopsy shows fractures, hemorrhaging near brain
An autopsy report for Bob Saget has determined he cause of death to be “blunt head trauma,” likely the result of a backwards fall. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
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(NEXSTAR) – An autopsy report for Bob Saget has determined the comedian’s cause of death to be “blunt head trauma” that resulted in multiple fractures to the skull and hemorrhaging near the brain.
The report, shared with Nexstar by the office of the Orange County Medical Examiner, further concluded that Saget was COVID-19 positive at the time of his death on Jan. 9, though his respiratory system showed no signs of chronic or acute inflammation.
“It is most probable that the decedent suffered an unwitnessed fall backwards and struck the posterior aspect of his head,” wrote Orange County Chief Medical Examiner Joshua D. Stephany.
Saget’s injuries included, but were not limited to, an abrasion on the back of his scalp, subgaleal hemorrhaging under the back of his scalp, a linear fracture to the base of his skull, comminuted fractures (bone broken into more than two pieces) on “the roofs of the orbits involving the bilateral and frontal bone,” and a subdural hematoma and additional hemorrhaging.
The report indicated that Saget’s body was otherwise “consistent” with that of a 65-year-old, though one of his arteries showed “severe atherosclerosis,” or blockage, narrowing it by up to 95%.
His death was ruled an accident.
The autopsy’s findings confirm statements that Saget’s family had previously provided to NewsNation, saying this week that Saget had “accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep.”
Saget, the star of “Full House” and host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” had been found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando on Jan. 9. He had been on a standup tour at the time.
Friends and fellow comedians reacted to Saget’s passing with remembrances on social media. His family, too, thanked his fans for their “outpouring of love.”
“As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter,” the Saget family said in a statement.
