Body taken to Raigmore Hospital mortuary 'showed signs of life' Published duration 11 June 2013

image caption Ambulance staff were called to the mortuary at Raigmore Hospital

A probe has been launched after a body taken to a hospital mortuary showed "potential signs of life".

The man had fallen from the Kessock Bridge at Inverness on Friday and, after attempts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An undertaker took the body to Raigmore Hospital where, during routine checks, staff became concerned that the man was showing "potential signs of life".

However, the man was later pronounced dead.

The incident is being investigated by the procurator fiscal and NHS Highland.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said it was reviewing the case.

'Active resuscitation'

A spokesman said: "Following retrieval, having been in the water for some time, the ambulance crew made every effort to resuscitate the patient.

"However despite active resuscitation being carried out by the crew with no response, a clinical assessment was undertaken including ongoing cardiac monitoring and confirmed that the patient had died.

image caption RNLI Kessock pulled the man from the sea on Friday night

"Subsequently, following a 999 call from the mortuary at Raigmore Hospital an ambulance responded, along with a cardiac arrest team from the hospital. The patient was subsequently confirmed life extinct."

NHS Highland said: "The death is subject to an investigation by the procurator fiscal as is standard practice in a sudden death.

"We are also holding our own internal significant event review as is normal practice in these circumstances.

"Until that is carried out we are unable to comment further."

Emergency services had been called to the Kessock Bridge at about 20:20 on Friday after reports of a man falling from the crossing into the sea.

He was recovered from the water by RNLI Kessock and was brought ashore where the ambulance crew attempted to resuscitate him.