88-year-old woman woke up inside her own coffin after mistakenly being declared dead

An 88-year-old woman who had been pronounced dead woke up inside her own coffin after a huge mistake from the coroner.

In a situation that would make anyone claustrophobic, the woman “woke up” and avoided the possibility of being buried alive.

The incident happened in Pilsen in Czechia (formerly known as the Czech Republic) after an unresponsive elderly woman was unable to be woken by her husband one morning.

He called the emergency services, but the woman was declared to be legally dead by a coroner, according to local outlet Blesk.

But, when the undertakers arrived to collect the “dead” body and placed her in a coffin, it was then they made the stunning discovery that she was still very much alive and breathing.

Reports from Czech media vary, and it is unclear whether the woman opened her eyes, or whether it was her breathing that alerted the undertakers to the fact.

Emergency medical services were immediately sent to the scene and she was transported to hospital. The 88-year-old is reported to be doing well.

The woman’s husband said: “The [funeral services] workers put her in a coffin, and when they were right here, they found out that she was alive.

“It’s serious. I’m completely unhappy about it.”

Police are now in the process of investigating potential misconduct by the coroner. The firm has issued an apology over what happened.

An ambulance spokesperson, Martin Štěpán, explained: “Our operations centre received a call in the early morning hours, during which the operator proceeded in accordance with the valid recommendations of the professional society and the methodology for situations related to the death of a patient.

“Following this procedure, the entire incident was handed over to the coroner.”

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