SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - A Salem woman whose raft flipped over in the McKenzie River this weekend has died, according to a blog run by the woman's friends and family.

A blog post said that Autumn Lee was "taken off life support around 6:30 p.m." on Wednesday.

The message capped a day of confusion in which the hospital had pronounced Lee deceased but her family insisted she was still alive.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office issued a press release Tuesday afternoon saying Lee, 33, of Salem, had died as a result of drowning on Monday morning. The deputy medical examiner declared Lee dead on Monday, the sheriff's office said Wednesday morning. | What is the legal definition of death in Oregon? | Can someone come back to life after being declared legally dead?

Sacred Heart Hospital at RiverBend said on Wednesday morning that Lee is listed as deceased in their directory.

But Cindy Wyant, Lee's mother, told KVAL News on Wednesday morning that Lee was still alive.

PHOTO GALLERY: Photographs of Autumn Lee

When Lee arrived at Sacred Heart on Sept. 5, she was unconscious but had a heartbeat, according to Frank Ratti, the Lane County Medical Examiner.

Ratti said the hospital pronounced her brain dead the next morning based on medical criteria. The hospital notified the medical examiner, who gave permission for the hospital to begin the organ donor process.

Ratti said it is common practice to keep people who are brain dead alive on life support until a team of surgeons can arrive to complete the organ donation process, which often takes 24 hours or more.

In this case, as the process moved forward, the family decided that they had hope she could be revived, Ratti said.

"It is a family decision whether to let go," Ratti said. "The medical examiner would never want to intervene if a family has hope."

Wyant said Lee has a heartbeat and functioning kidneys, and that Lee squeezed her sister's arm on Tuesday. Wyant said the family believes that is a sign Lee is improving but that hospital staff told them the action doesn't mean Lee is alive.

The family believes, given time, God will heal her.

A hospital spokeswoman issued a written statement clarifying what the hospital could and could not legally comment on.

Friends of the family have launched a blog and Facebook page on Lee's situation.

Can people come back to life after being declared dead?

The medical examiner Ratti said a person coming back from being declared dead is very rare. In his entire career, it's only happened once.

During the Thurston High School shooting in 1998, Kip Kinkel shot Teresa Miltonberger in the head. Told she was brain dead, her family kept her on life support so her mother could come home from a trip and say her goodbyes

When the mom got there, the hospital took Miltonberger off life support - and she kept breathing and later recovered.

This is a developing story. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

What is the legal definition of death in Oregon?

Compiled from OrganDonor.gov and Oregon Revised Statutes:

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA). The UDDA also recognizes whole-brain death -- irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain -- as a legal standard of death. A person can be legally dead even if her cardiopulmonary system continues to function. If a patient's entire brain is nonfunctioning, so that breathing and heartbeat are maintained only by artificial means, that patient meets the whole-brain standard of death.

ORS 432.300

(1) A person is dead if the person has sustained either:

(a) Irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions; or

(b) Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.

(2) A determination of whether the conditions described in subsection (1)(a) or (b) of this section have occurred must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards.

(3) For purposes of this section as it relates to fetal death, heartbeats shall be distinguished from transient cardiac contractions and breathing shall be distinguished from fleeting respiratory efforts or gasps.

(4) This section may be cited as the Uniform Determination of Death Act.
 

Press release from sheriff

Complete text of press release from Lane County Sheriff's Office

CASE NUMBER:    10-6425
 
DATE/TIME OF INCIDENT:  09/05/10/ - 3:59pm
 
DATE/TIME OF RELEASE:   09/07/10 - 3:45pm
 
NATURE OF STORY:        Boating Accident / Fatality
 
LOCATION:       Mckenzie River near 53214 McKenzie Highway
 
DECEASED:       Lee, Autumn Age 33 from Salem, Oregon
 
 
DETAILS: The Lane County Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol along with McKenzie Fire and Springfield medics responded to a report of a water rescue of multiple persons entangled in a log in the McKenzie River. CPR was in progress for one of the persons.   All involved persons were either rescued by other members of their party or self-rescued. They were all part of a group of rafters and inflatable kayakers on a trip from Paradise Campground to Forest Glen Park on the McKenzie River. One of the kayakers became entangled in a downed tree in the river.  Other passengers in a raft just behind the kayaker stopped paddling and all went to the right side of the raft, ignoring the direction of the guide to remain seated and keep paddling.  With all of the weight on one side of the raft, it quickly overturned placing all the occupants into the cold water.  All the occupants were washed downstream except for LEE, who was caught on the log.   Several initial attempts to free LEE failed, and during some of that time she was submerged.  When she was finally freed, CPR was started at the river bank and EMS was notified.  Medics resuscitated LEE and she was taken to Riverbend Hospital for further treatment.
 
At 11:45 am 9/6/10 LEE was pronounced dead as a result of drowning. 
 
Prepared by: Sergeant Doug Osborne
 

Press release from PeaceHealth

Andrea Ash
Media Relations Specialist
PeaceHealth Oregon Region