Woman declared dead was still alive

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Nearly an hour and a half after rescuers declared an 88-year-old woman dead inside a burning car, investigators at the scene realized she was still breathing.
Now, officials are reviewing the case, trying to figure out what went wrong in determining the condition of Barbara Clark, who died later Wednesday.
Clark and her 87-year-old husband, John Clark, were found beside the road in their burning 1994 Volvo 850 about 4:20 a.m.
Firefighters put out the blaze and tried to rescue the couple but found no vital signs, Lt. John King said. They declared the couple dead about 4:40 a.m.
According to the police report, firefighters secured the car and waited for investigators to arrive.
Volusia County spokesman Dave Byron said a Medical Examiner's Office employee and crime-scene investigators noticed Barbara Clark was still breathing about 6 a.m. Rescuers began first aid and called an ambulance, but she died about 12 minutes later.
Whether Clark could have been saved if someone had noticed earlier that she was still alive is one of many questions investigators hope to answer.