Oklahoma Man Once Declared Dead Says He Actually Feels “Pretty Good”

First posted on 03-24-2008

Zach Dunlap looks pretty good for a dead guy. He said he feels “pretty good,” too.

Four months ago, the 21 year old from Frederick, Oklahoma, was pronounced brain dead by doctors in Wichita Falls, Texas after Dunlap had suffered injuries from an all-terrain vehicle accident.

Doctors were preparing to remove Dunlap’s organs for transplant as his family gathered around him to pay their last respects. But someone decided to scrape a pocketknife across Dunlap’s foot and he moved. They applied pressure under a fingernail and he moved his hand.

Dunlap, who continues his recovery at home, said he did not recall the accident at all but does remember hearing the doctors declare him dead.

Dunlap’s father, Doug, told NBC News that he saw his son’s brain scan. “There was no activity at all, no blood flow at all it,” he said.