In a notable development, a suburban area near Detroit has reached a $3.25 million settlement with the family of a young woman at the center of a harrowing incident. Timesha Beauchamp, initially declared dead in her home, astonished everyone when she showed signs of life as her body bag was unzipped at a funeral home.

The unsettling episode began with Southfield paramedics facing accusations of gross negligence following their response to a 911 emergency call in 2020. Beauchamp, a 20-year-old with cerebral palsy, was eventually transferred to a hospital, where she sadly passed away two months later.

In a statement, Southfield officials expressed their understanding of the deep sorrow felt by Beauchamp’s family, admitting that no settlement could ever truly rectify the tragic events of August 23, 2020. They highlighted the challenging circumstances prevailing at the time, particularly amid the complexities of a global pandemic.

Initially, Beauchamp was struggling to breathe, prompting her family to seek emergency assistance. The responding medical team attempted resuscitation efforts and consulted with a doctor, who, without visiting the scene, declared Beauchamp deceased over the phone.

Shockingly, later that day, when the funeral home staff unzipped the body bag, Beauchamp was found gasping for air. Despite being rushed to a hospital, her condition did not improve, and she never fully recovered.

“She was put in a situation she never should have been in,” Steven Hurbis, an attorney for Beauchamp’s family, said Tuesday.

Medical professionals, he added, said Beauchamp would have survived if she had been taken immediately to a hospital from her home.

Southfield fought the lawsuit and persuaded a judge to dismiss it based on governmental immunity. The Michigan Court of Appeals, however, overturned that decision in 2024.

The Southfield fire chief had said Beauchamp’s situation might have been a case of “Lazarus syndrome,” a reference to people who come back to life without assistance after attempts to resuscitate have failed.