'Dead' man taken to morgue found breathing

London, Sep 29 (ANI): An unnamed man who was pronounced dead by a South West ambulance crew was later discovered breathing by an undertaker, it has emerged.

The patient was seen by paramedics who ran a series of checks before declaring him dead and the body was taken to a morgue.

However, when he was spotted by an undertaker he discovered the man was still breathing - and he later made a full recovery.

The bizarre incident in 2007 was published in a three-year report by the South Western Ambulance Service and released under the Freedom of Information Act.

It detailed 62 Serious Untoward Incidents (SUIs) - when a patient, member of staff or the public suffers serious injury, harm or unexpected death during a call out.

"When you look at these incidents, it works out at roughly less than three per 100,000 call-outs. The service has a culture of openness and staff are encouraged to report any incidents immediately so we can investigate and learn lessons.

We're open to scrutiny from the public, we are all professional and we are all accountable," the Daily Mail quoted Andy Smith, medical director of the service, which covers Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, as saying. (ANI)