Man Breathes Again Minutes After Being Pronounced Dead; Medics Get Suspended

Two Florida paramedics have been suspended after an elderly man they declared dead was later found breathing.

The emergency medical responders, who were from the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department's (CFRD) Station 47, arrived at the home of 66-year-old Thomas Maxwell at around 10:10 a.m. on Feb. 15, The Washington Post reported.

Maxwell's daughter, Phebe Maxwell, had found her father lying on the floor with his lips blue and body freezing, she said.

While Phebe was still performing CPR on her father, one of the responding paramedics allegedly squatted near Thomas' head and declared him dead without performing any tests.

Thomas was still breathing at the time, but the paramedic told Phebe that her father's body was only "releasing its gases," she said.

The medic maintained his verdict even after checking for Thomas' pulse and told Phebe to stop performing CPR.

Both medical responders left the scene when a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) arrived, according to fire department spokesman Rob Shaw.

As Phebe was sharing the news of her dad's death with family members in Cincinnati, Ohio, the deputy, who had covered Thomas with a shroud, noticed the elderly man take a breath and found that he had a pulse, a spokesman for the PCSO said.

The deputy called medics with the Largo Fire Rescue. The second crew rushed equipment into the Maxwells' home, including a defibrillator, before taking Thomas to nearby Morton Plant Hospital, more than 20 minutes after he was declared dead.

Thomas, who did not receive care for about 28 minutes after the initial call to emergency services, ended up suffering from cardiac arrest, respiratory failure and injuries to his kidney, arteries and lungs.

Doctors put him into an induced coma, but he later woke up and was able to leave the hospital on Feb. 21.

While Thomas now suffers from memory loss and often forgets what he is discussing midway through conversations, he is still thankful to be alive and intends to act kinder to others.

"It was just a trip, man. Not that I even recall it, but my God," Thomas, who will receive occupational and physical therapy as well as undergo a test to measure his brain activity, told The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Phebe still has nightmares of what happened that night.

"If it weren't for that deputy, my dad could've suffocated unnecessarily, could've woken up in the morgue. I wouldn't have my dad sitting here next to me, and that scares me," Phebe said.

She is currently exploring legal action against the CFRD.

The CFRD has removed the two paramedics involved in the incident from their normal duties and discontinued their abilities to provide patient care, department chief Scott Ehlers said in a statement to NewsChannel 8.

"On behalf of the city, I apologize for the actions and the inactions of our crew during this incident. We have strict policies and procedures in place that were not followed, according to our preliminary review. These two did not perform to the standard of care that our citizens expect and deserve," Ehlers added.