Woman who was “brain dead” miraculously saved by ambulance hitting massive pothole

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In India, a woman who doctors had determined was brain dead surprisingly started breathing again when the ambulance she was traveling in drove over a large pothole.

Local news sources report that Vineeta Shukla, age 50, was released from a hospital in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, after doctors determined she had died. Her husband, Kuldeep Kumar Shukla, had started making arrangements for her funeral.

Okay, so I heard this really sad story. This woman, Shukla, collapsed at home on February 22nd and had to be rushed to the hospital. Sadly, the doctors quickly realized things were really bad – like, almost no hope. They ended up bringing her back home on February 24th, which was just heartbreaking to hear.

Ambulance pothole jolt reportedly revived patient

The ambulance reportedly hit a large pothole near Hafizganj while transporting the patient, which caused a sudden, strong jolt.

It was terrifying. I honestly thought my mom was gone. She’d stopped breathing, and her pulse was just fading away. We called for an ambulance, but then things got even worse. Right as we were getting close to the hospital, the ambulance hit a huge pothole and basically bounced all over the place. It was a nightmare on top of a nightmare.

He went on to say, “My wife started breathing again.” He quickly told his family to stop making funeral arrangements.

After the incident, Shukla was taken to a hospital in Pilibhit for treatment. She stayed there for almost two weeks and eventually recovered enough to go home.

Kuldeep shared that his wife came home on March 9th and is now awake and able to communicate with her family, according to a news report.

After Shukla was readmitted to the hospital, neurosurgeon Dr. Rakesh Singh examined her. He told The Times of India that during her previous hospital stay in Bareilly, she had lost all brainstem reflexes and her Glasgow Coma Scale score—a measure of consciousness—had fallen to a critical level of three.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a 15-point exam doctors use to determine how serious a brain injury is. A lower score means a more significant level of brain damage.

Tests revealed high levels of dangerous toxins in Singh’s blood and lymphatic system, and this helped doctors determine the best course of treatment.

However, some neurologists have questioned whether Shukla was truly brain dead.

Dr. Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, explained on X (formerly Twitter) that if a patient is confirmed to be brain dead, recovery isn’t possible.

He explained that if a patient starts breathing again or shows any signs of brain function, it proves they weren’t brain dead in the first place.

Can someone who is brain dead begin breathing on their own again? No. Brain death is permanent. It means all functions of the brain, including those that control breathing, have completely stopped and will not return. If a patient starts breathing after being considered brain dead, the initial diagnosis was incorrect.

— Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (@hyderabaddoctor) March 11, 2026

Kumar pointed out that it’s highly improbable the pothole actually saved the patient, suggesting the recovery and the incident likely happened by chance.

Neurologist Dr. JS Deol proposed a possible explanation on X, suggesting that Shukla may have experienced a brain stem herniation. This could have put pressure on the part of her brain that controls breathing, causing her to stop. Dr. Deol theorized that the sudden movement might have briefly released that pressure.

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2026-03-12 18:20