Medics pronounced him dead. Moments later, he took a breath.
After attempting CPR and pleading with medics, Phebe Maxwell said she accepted the medics' ruling: Her father, Thomas, was dead.
"Dad, why did you die on me?" Phebe recalled yelling last month as she exited his room.
A Florida deputy covered Thomas with a shroud, Phebe said, and a medical examiner arrived to assess the body. Phebe called family members to tell them Thomas had died.
Then, the sheriff's deputy noticed Thomas take a breath. More than 20 minutes after he was ruled dead, Phebe said, paramedics rushed to strap him to a ventilator and drive him to a hospital.
Thomas Maxwell was still alive. And he still is: The 66-year-old left the hospital last week.
"It was just a trip, man," he told The Washington Post. "Not that I even recall it, but my God."
The two Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department medics who declared Thomas dead were suspended from providing patient care and placed on administrative duty, Chief Scott Ehlers said in a statement.
"I apologize for the actions and the inactions of our crew during this incident," Ehlers said. "We have strict policies and procedures in place that were not followed, according to our preliminary review. These two did not perform to the standard of care that our citizens expect and deserve."
Phebe, 43, said she heard a thump from her dad's room in their Clearwater home after midnight on Feb. 15. When Phebe checked on him, Thomas was lying on the floor after falling from what he believed was sciatica, which causes leg pain. Phebe offered to help, but Thomas said he'd stand and get back in bed after a few minutes.
Around 10 a.m., Phebe said she found her dad in the same position, but his lips were blue and his body was freezing. Phebe's mom, Karla, called 911 while Phebe performed CPR and pressed on his stomach, which occasionally caused him to grunt.
When Clearwater Fire and Rescue medics appeared about 10 minutes later, Phebe said one squatted near Thomas's head and declared him dead without performing tests. Phebe, still performing CPR, said she told the medic her dad was breathing, but he responded that Thomas's body was just "releasing its gases."
The medic grabbed Thomas's right arm for about 10 seconds to check for a pulse, Phebe said, but he stuck to his verdict. Phebe said he told her to stop CPR.
The medics left after a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived, according to Rob Shaw, a fire department spokesman. But while Phebe was sharing the news of her dad's death with family members in Cincinnati, the deputy noticed Thomas was breathing and had a pulse, a sheriff's office spokeswoman said in a statement. The deputy called medics with a different department, Largo Fire Rescue. Phebe said the second crew rushed equipment into the house, including a defibrillator, before driving him to nearby Morton Plant Hospital.
"If it weren't for that deputy, my dad could've suffocated unnecessarily, could've woken up in the morgue," Phebe said. "I wouldn't have my dad sitting here next to me, and that scares me. You're supposed to trust these people."
Phebe said Thomas didn't receive care for about 28 minutes after the initial call to emergency services. The Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department and Pinellas County are reviewing the incident, according to Shaw.
"Our first responders proudly serve our community each and every day, and they are expected to help people when they need it the most," Jennifer Poirrier, Clearwater's interim manager, said in a statement. "When this does not occur at the level at which we expect, it is incumbent upon us to determine exactly what happened, why it happened, and then ensure it will never happen again."
At the hospital, Phebe said she learned her dad, who was on a ventilator, suffered cardiac arrest, respiratory failure and injuries to his kidney, arteries and lungs. Doctors put him into an induced coma, though Phebe didn't believe he'd ever wake up.
But on Feb. 17, Thomas awoke in the intensive care unit, hungry and confused. He said he became unconscious soon after he fell on his bedroom floor.
Phebe said Thomas didn't recognize her and thought one of the nurses was his ex-wife. Midway through a conversation, Phebe said Thomas paused and asked: "Who are you? Why are you in my room? I'm waiting on my daughter to come."
"I was just freaked out," Thomas recalled.
On Feb. 19, Phebe said Thomas remembered her, but he has continued to experience memory loss since leaving the hospital on Feb. 21. Phebe said he often forgets what he was discussing midway through conversations. Thomas had memorized lyrics from his favorite rock bands - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Doors - but now he doesn't recognize their music, which gives him headaches, according to Phebe. Thomas used to be able to list the nearly 60 concerts he has attended, Phebe said, but now he only remembers two.
Phebe said she loved discussing philosophy, astronomy and religion with her dad, but he recently forgot what Catholicism was. Thomas has required a walker and assistance to bathe, while suffering from mood swings, slowed speech and poor sleep, she added.
Phebe said she still has nightmares about what happened Feb. 15 and is exploring legal action against the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department. She said her dad will receive occupational and physical therapy and undergo a test to measure his brain activity.
Thomas said he's thankful to be alive and intends to act kinder to others after he reflected on his near-death experience. Still, since he was ruled dead, he said he hasn't felt like himself.
"I'm not interested in anything anymore," Thomas said. "I'm surely not happy. It just really took a toll on me."
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