Pothole jolt 'revives' woman declared brain-dead in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit

Pilibhit: A 50-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district, who had been declared "brain-dead" and sent home with little hope of survival, showed signs of life after an ambulance carrying her hit a pothole on a national highway.Doctors subsequently resumed treatment and the woman made a full recovery nearly 12 days later.

The incident, which occurred on the Bareilly-Haridwar stretch of National Highway-74 near Hafizganj, has sparked local discussions -- both about the state of road infrastructure and what many initially described as a "miraculous" recovery.

However, a neurosurgeon who later treated the woman said her revival was not a miracle but likely the result of treatment for a suspected toxic insect or snake bite.

Vinita Shukla, a senior assistant in the copy section of Pilibhit's judicial courts, had fallen unconscious on February 22 while doing household chores, her family said.

According to her husband, Kuldeep Shukla, she had earlier complained of high blood pressure and taken medication before suddenly collapsing. She was taken to the Autonomous State Medical College in Pilibhit, but the doctors there referred her to Bareilly in view of her critical condition.

"The family then admitted her to a private hospital in Bareilly, where she remained on ventilator support for three days. Doctors later told the family that she had little chance of survival and discharged her with a referral note," he said.

Kuldeep said that on February 24, he was bringing his unconscious wife back home in an ambulance and had informed relatives to prepare for her last rites.

"Near Hafizganj, the ambulance suddenly hit a large pothole, and the vehicle shook violently. Shortly afterwards, my wife began breathing normally again," he told reporters, adding that he immediately asked relatives to halt the funeral preparations.

He then rushed her to Neurocity Hospital in Pilibhit for emergency treatment.

Family members said that after intensive care at the facility for nearly 12 days, Vinita returned home on Monday.

"She is now conscious and is able to speak with us," Kuldeep said.

Dr Rakesh Singh, a neurosurgeon at Neurocity Hospital, told PTI that the woman was brought to him unconscious but was still breathing faintly.

"During physical examination, we noticed a mark on her leg, suggesting a bite from a venomous snake or insect," he said, adding that her condition appeared to be linked to neurotoxin poisoning rather than high blood pressure.

He said based on a medical assessment, doctors administered treatment consistent with toxin exposure, which eventually led to significant improvement.

Singh said earlier tests at the Bareilly hospital had shown an absence of brainstem reflexes, and that her Glasgow Coma Scale (level of consciousness) score had dropped to three from the normal level of 15, indicating deep unresponsiveness.

"Her pupils were dilated, suggesting severe neurological suppression. Further tests revealed a high presence of neurotoxins in her blood and lymphatic system," he said.

According to the doctor, targeted treatment for the toxin helped in her recovery over the course of nearly 12 days.

While the family described the incident as nothing short of a "miracle", the doctor maintained that the woman's improvement was "the result of timely medical intervention following the suspected toxic bite".