Woman declared dead by coroner, moved to coffin, turns out to be alive

Woman Declared Dead Found Alive in Coffin in Czech Republic

In a shocking incident in the Czech Republic, an 88-year-old woman, presumed dead, was discovered alive as undertakers placed her in a coffin. The astonishing case, reported by Blesk.cz, unfolded in Pilsen when the woman’s husband found her unresponsive in bed and called emergency services. “She didn’t move, she didn’t breathe,” he told dispatchers, prompting paramedics to confirm her death. A coroner later verified the pronouncement, and undertakers were summoned to transport the body.

As the workers moved the woman’s body into the coffin in the apartment hallway, they made a startling discovery—she was alive. An ambulance rushed her to a hospital for immediate care. This rare occurrence, known as the Lazarus Effect, has left medical professionals and the public stunned.

The Lazarus Effect, named after the biblical story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, occurs when a person pronounced clinically dead after cardiac arrest and failed CPR shows signs of life. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this phenomenon typically follows unsuccessful resuscitation efforts, with the patient later exhibiting vital signs for more than a few seconds. The National Institutes of Health reports 74 confirmed cases in the U.S. from 1982 to 2022, though the exact cause remains a medical mystery.

This chilling incident highlights the rare but real possibility of misdiagnosing death in certain medical scenarios. While the woman’s current condition remains undisclosed, her case serves as a reminder of the complexities of human physiology and the limits of medical assessments. Authorities have not released further details, but the event has sparked discussions about protocols for confirming death, ensuring such extraordinary cases are handled with utmost care.