How on earth did LE ever buy this story? I mean, P-U.
The first thing a falling/slipping person does is drop anything they are carrying (exception: child, beloved pet) while innately flailing their arms, trying to regain balance. Grabbing for a railing.
Arms normally go out in front of the body, bracing for impact from a forward fall (in my experience). You know, in order to protect the noggin.
I think most of us have assumed she fell forward going
up the steps since the injury was to her forehead or temple.
But if she was carrying the frozen turkey that she'd already retrieved from the big house, it's even more bizarre that she struck her forehead. Because she'd have slipped going
down the steps, n'est-ce pas?
I've always landed on my butt or hip when my legs have gone out from under me while sliding down icy stairs.
Did Spook claim that Bess did a flip or something? Those steps don't seem high enough to create a somersault type fall, imo.
In other words, I'd like to see that accident reconstruction diagram.