Three-Year-Old Girl, Declared Dead, Wakes Up At Her Funeral, Dies Hours Later

The incident took place in Mexico on August 17. (Representational Photo)

A three-year-old girl woke up at her own funeral after doctors mistakenly pronounced her dead. The incident took place in Mexico on August 17, according to local publication El Universal. The mother of the girl, Camila Roxana Martinez Mendoza, has accused the local hospital of negligence for telling her that she died. The family took the toddler to the hospital after she experienced stomach pains, vomiting and fever in her hometown of Villa de Ramos, the outlet further said.

The local pediatrician told the girl’s mother Mary Jane Mendoza to take her to a bigger hospital. But at the same time, the doctor also gave a prescription for paracetamol while discharging the three-year-old.

The mother told El Universal that Camila’s condition continued to deteriorate after which she took her to another doctor. He prescribed a different medication and asked the mother to give the toddler fruits and water.

However, there was no improvement in her condition after which the family rushed the girl to the emergency room of a hospital.

New York Post quoted the mother as saying that the hospital staff took a long time to put oxygen on her. After 10 minutes of putting her on intravenous fluids, the doctors removed it and asked Ms Mendoza to “let her rest in peace”, according to the outlet.

The doctors declared dehydration as the official reason for the girl’s death.

Next day, when the funeral was held, Ms Mendoza noticed that a glass panel in her daughter’s coffin had mysteriously clouded over. The mourners initially dismissed her words, saying she was not able to bear the loss of her child and is “hallucinating”, said the Post.

But the little girl’s grandmother spotted Camila’s eyes moving and shockingly discovered that she had a pulse.

The girl was again taken to the hospital in an ambulance where the doctors unsuccessfully tried to revive her and declared her dead again – this time from a cerebral edema (brain swelling), said the Post report.

Ms Mendoza has now filed a case against the doctors who declared her dead. The woman told El Universal that she doesn’t hold any grudge against the healthcare professionals, but want them charged so that “this does not happen again”.

The San Luis Potosi State Attorney General has launched an investigation.