seamusTX wrote: ...
When a person dies, the death has to be certified by some kind of medical personnel. If a person dies at home, a funeral director takes the body by the ER to get a death certificate.
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- Jim
My inner nitpicker requires me to respond.
In my experience responding to a number of deaths,
non-criminal DAS's (death at scene) are officially certified by a Justice of the Peace long after the medical people depart. The first responders and paramedics will of course check for signs of life/death, and if appropriate try resuscitation, but they do not officially certify death. The paramedics will run an EKG and give a copy to the police on scene, or to the JP if he is there, and everyone will note the signs of death in their reports, but the JP makes it "official." Thus the official certification of death is often well after the on-scene medical people decide that there is nothing further they can do. The physician(s) who were treating the patient will be consulted to give an accurate cause of death.
Dead bodies are not sent to the ER, unless the responders are trying to resuscitate it -- if unsuccessful, then the ER docs will pronounce ("pronouncing" is different than "certifying") death AND fill out relevant parts of the death certificate. (In certain cases RNs and PAs can pronounce, but AFAIK, paramedics cannot). If the paramedics and responders attempt resuscitation, but then decide at the scene it is not going to be successfull (they will consult by phone with the ER docs on this), then everything stops, we apologize to the survivors, and that's that (it may be that the ER doc on the phone "pronounced death" based on the paramedic's report, but I don't know for sure, never asked). If the body never leaves the scene (and it is not a criminal matter), the cops will ask next-of-kin what funeral home needs to be summoned, and the funeral home will come pick up the deceased. The funeral home will arrange to obtain the death certificate, but they do not need to take the body any place to do so.
(I know the TV shows always show ambulance crews carting off dead bodies, and maybe they perform that service in other places, but I don't think that is how it is generally done. Ambulances and ERs are for the living, not the dead; they have enough business as it is, Even in criminal matters, I think the ME sends his own wagon, or contracts with a funeral home for transport).
Deaths that are suspected or known to be by criminal act or are of unknown causes (or occur within 24 hrs of admittance to a hospital, in jail, under the age of six) will be investigated by the JP and a Medical Examiner. Regular physicians are not supposed to certify non-natural deaths. In that case, the body may remain on scene for quite awhile.
A County Judge can act in place of a JP if the JP is not available for some reason.
And if this is not enough for anyone, you can read up on the process in the Texas Department of State Health Services here:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/handbook ... thbk1.shtm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Me, I recently told my wife to have me cremated and scattered over the little cemetery where we bury our pets. I don't give a rat's behind whether it is legal or not, but it has been my experience that no one ever comes to ask what you did with the ashes anyway.
