Every person’s worst nightmare: A woman who was declared dead after a car accident in Gauteng, was later found alive in a mortuary fridge.
A Times Live report said, the woman who was involved in a car accident outside of Carletonville a week ago was declared dead, along with two other occupants also killed in the collision. The Distress Assist ambulance was called to the scene, after the first ambulance collided with the accident vehicle.
A source from the Carletonville mortuary told Times Live that his colleagues had loaded the bodies into the fridges, but after doing the paperwork and returning to check on the bodies – the woman was found alive.
“When he pulled out the women’s body, he saw that she was breathing,” the source said.
Distress Alert operations manager, Gerrit Bradnick, confirmed that the paramedic services had declared the woman dead.
The Gauteng Forensice Pathology Service CEO, Dr Paul Morule, indicated that the Distress Assist ambulance service paramedics are being investigated by the Gauteng Health Department for their misconduct in identifying if the woman was alive.
The patient was immediately transferred to Leratong Hospital in Krugersdorp after she was found breathing, where she is currently being treated.
Bradnick insists that Distress services followed the protocols and checks necessary when declaring people dead. He said they conducted a thorough check for any signs of life, inclusive of a pulse and breathing.
By all checks and balances – the women was confirmed dead and this was supported by Bradnick’s statement, “An advanced life support paramedic from another ambulance service witnessed the death declaration form.”
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