Miracle on UP highway: Brain-dead woman comes back to life after ambulance hits pothole

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• Woman declared brain-dead revived after ambulance hit pothole
• Doctors found neurotoxins and treated her, leading to recovery
• She regained consciousness and was discharged after several days

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A woman declared brain-dead by doctors in Uttar Pradesh surprisingly showed signs of life again after the ambulance carrying her hit a pothole on the Bareilly-Haridwar National Highway.

The woman, Vineeta Shukla, 50, from Pilibhit district, had been discharged from a hospital in Bareilly with almost no chance of survival. Doctors had allegedly informed her family that she was not responding and her condition was extremely critical. Her husband, Kuldeep Kumar Shukla, had begun bringing her home in an ambulance on February 24 after losing hope for recovery, The Times of India reported.

"I told my family to prepare for her last rites. She was not breathing, there was only a sinking heartbeat. As the ambulance reached Hafizganj, it struck a large pothole and the vehicle moved violently," her husband was quoted by TOI as saying.

Moments after the impact, Vineeta suddenly began breathing normally again. Her husband said he could not believe what he was seeing. Realising the sudden change in her condition, Kuldeep immediately called his family and asked them to stop the funeral preparations.

After noticing that his wife was breathing again, Kuldeep quickly took her to Neurocity Hospital in Pilibhit for further treatment. Doctors there started emergency medical care and carefully examined her condition.

Dr Rakesh Singh, a neurosurgeon at the hospital, was quoted by TOI as saying that before starting treatment, he collected detailed information about her earlier medical reports from the Bareilly hospital.

According to the reports, Vineeta had no brainstem reflexes earlier and her Glasgow Coma Scale had dropped to three points, which indicates deep unconsciousness and no response to stimuli. Normally, a healthy person scores around 15 on this scale.

“The examination of her eyes showed mydriasis (dilation of pupils), indicating the death of her brain and constantly sinking signs of life in her. During a series of quick medical tests, heavy neurotoxins were detected in her bloodstream and lymphatic system. The diagnosis and consequent treatment helped remarkably in her recovery,” TOI quoted the neurosurgeon as saying.

Dr Singh said that once the correct diagnosis was made, doctors started specific treatment which gradually helped improve her condition.

After several days of medical care, Vineeta’s health began improving. She eventually regained consciousness and was able to speak to her family again.

She was discharged from the hospital and returned home on Monday. Family members said Vineeta works as a senior assistant in the copy section of the judicial courts in Pilibhit. She had suddenly fainted on February 22 while doing household work at home.

She was first taken to Autonomous State Medical College in Pilibhit, where doctors referred her to a hospital in Bareilly for advanced treatment. However, it was the unexpected turn of events during the ambulance journey that gave her a second chance at life.