Back in February of this year, a toddler was pulled out of his family’s pool in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, only to be declared dead.
It was Super Bowl Sunday, February 8th, when 18-month-old Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino managed to fall into the water.
“He was underwater for approximately five minutes before first aid was administered while waiting for first responders. Vincent was rushed to Gilbert Mercy Hospital, where doctors worked tirelessly to save him,” a GoFundMe page created for Vincent explained.
“At around 8:00 p.m., the unthinkable happened—Vincent was declared deceased. His devastated parents were sent home in unimaginable grief. But God had other plans.”
Vincent was moved to the morgue of the hospital as it was assumed that he was no longer alive. Allegedly, the doctor who pronounced him dead told the police officers that he “went to medical school for a reason,” after the police officers questioned him about why Vincent was declared dead.
Miraculously, Vincent started breathing while in the morgue, and it turned out he was actually alive.
“A little after 11:30 p.m., the family received a call no one expected: the medical examiner had detected a faint heartbeat. Vincent was immediately airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, fighting for his life,” the GoFundMe page added.
“In the early hours of February 9, around 4:00 a.m., doctors warned the family that Vincent’s organs were shutting down. His kidneys, lungs, and liver were all struggling. An MRI was ordered later that day to determine brain activity and potential damage.”
“The results came back showing only two tiny ‘pencil‑dot’ areas of potential brain damage, and doctors expressed grave concern. They explained that the next 72 hours would be critical for Vincent’s survival and neurological outcome.”
There were no updates on the GoFundMe page acknowledging whether Vincent had greatly improved or not after being brought to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Ultimately, Vincent was later released from the hospital, as confirmed by the Gilbert Police Department, but now his parents could be facing charges of child abuse.
A police report stated that Vincent’s parents might not have noticed when he drifted towards the pool after using “mind-altering substances.” The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is looking into the case.
Being mistakenly declared dead does seem like something that would only happen in a horror film and not in real life, but a Social Security Advisory report from 2019 estimates that between 7,000 and 12,000 people are mistakenly declared dead annually in the United States.
As to how this can even occur, common reasons range from overdoses, comas, hypothermia, clerical issues, or even misidentification.
In order to be declared dead, a medical professional assesses a person’s vital signs, which means you would not have a heartbeat or be no longer breathing to fit the criteria.
You can view the GoFundMe for Vincent here.
By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
