Collapsed After Sudden Seizure While Cooking
Paramedics Mistakenly Declared Her Dead and Transferred Her to the Morgue
In the United Kingdom, it was belatedly revealed that a woman who had been declared dead and transferred to a morgue was actually still alive. The woman was left unattended in the morgue for about two hours before she ultimately passed away. On December 3 (local time), The Sun and other foreign media reported on a medical accident that occurred two years ago in County Durham, UK. The incident took place in October 2023 at a private residence in County Durham. Olive Martin, who was 54 years old at the time, suddenly collapsed due to a seizure while cooking. Paramedics arrived a short time later, but they determined that Martin had already died and transported her to the hospital morgue instead of the emergency room.
Several hours later, morgue staff who went to check Martin’s body were shocked to discover that she was still breathing. At that time, Martin appeared to have regained consciousness, responding to staff and gripping their hands. She was immediately moved to a hospital room and received emergency treatment. However, because the golden hour had been missed, she suffered severe brain damage and ultimately passed away as a result.
At a recent court hearing, there was debate over the impact of the “two-hour treatment gap” caused by the paramedics’ misjudgment on her death. The bereaved family argued, “Martin received no treatment for about two hours,” and insisted, “If she had been taken to the emergency room and treated immediately instead of the morgue, she could have survived.” On the other hand, the hospital stated, “It is impossible to know how long she had already been deprived of oxygen by the time she was found at home,” and took a cautious stance.
The family countered by saying, “When Martin was found in the kitchen, there was bread in the toaster, and it was the day she was supposed to go to work, so these facts can be used to estimate the timeline.” Andrew Hodge, Medical Director of the North East Ambulance Service, said, “We deeply apologize for the pain the family has endured,” and added, “A full review of the incident is currently underway.” The hearing related to this accident is scheduled to resume on the 30th.
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