RESURRECTION

Man Turns Up at Family Barbecue After Being Declared Dead

After a case of mistaken identity at the hospital, the surprise appearance came after plans had been made for the man’s funeral.

A family has been left shocked after a beloved relative—who they believed had died in hospice care—showed up at a friend’s barbecue. ABC News reports the surprise appearance came after plans had been made for the man’s funeral. It appears to be a fatal case of mistaken identity. An injured and unidentified man was taken to a hospital in Chicago, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday, and was identified by police as Alfonso Bennett despite disfiguring injuries. Bennett’s family insisted to doctors that the patient didn’t look like their relative, but were told they were in denial, according to the lawsuit. They reluctantly removed him from a respirator on advice of doctors and grieved when he died three days later. Then, with funeral plans underway, Bennett, who was out of state for the whole ordeal, returned to town and showed up at a friend’s barbecue, completely unaware of what had happened. Authorities later identified the man as 68-year-old Elisha Brittmann, and only at that point was Brittmann’s family informed of his death.