Woman Mistakenly Declared Dead by San Antonio EMS
When emergency personnel and police responded to the scene of the crash, a yellow sheet was draped over the woman.
SAN ANTONIO --
An early Sunday morning collision with a drunken driver injured two women and claimed the life of a third, police said.
At least that's what emergency medical personnel originally thought.
Erica Smith, 23, was riding on Loop 410 with two passengers when the vehicle driven by 28-year-old Jenny Ybarra was driving the wrong way and collided with Smith's vehicle near Loop 410 South and Rigsby Road, police said.
Ybarra was legally intoxicated, police said.
When emergency personnel and police responded to the scene of the crash, a yellow sheet was draped over Smith, a normal practice by EMS at the scene of a fatality.
But when the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office responded to claim the body, investigators found Smith to still be alive.
EMS was called back to the scene and transported Smith to Brooke Army Medical Center for treatment. Reports indicate up to two hours passed before Smith was taken to the hospital, where she was in critical condition Sunday night.
Ybarra has been charged with three counts of intoxication assault, charges which police said could be upgraded if Smith dies.
The declaration of Smith as a fatality is under review, an EMS spokesperson said.
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