Gary Dockery

Gary French Dockery (October 15, 1953 – April 15, 1997) was an American police officer in Walden, Tennessee. After being critically injured in 1988, he spent seven-and-a-half years in a coma-like state. In 1996, he emerged from the coma and started talking enthusiastically, recognizing friends and recalling events from past years. He then fell back into a coma and died a year later.

Biography

On September 17, 1988, he was shot in the forehead by a drunken assailant as he responded to a domestic disturbance call. He slipped into what doctors called a persistent vegetative state, unable to communicate except occasionally with eye blinks and groans — indicating that part of his brain was still working. Although he could respond, he was not conscious.[1][2]

He had a serious case of pneumonia and underwent lung surgery[2][3] and on February 11, 1996, he stirred and started talking, recognizing old friends, recalling the names of his horses, and recalling camping trips.[1][2] By the second day he had largely become silent again.[3]

A year later, on April 15, 1997, he died at the age of 43 from a blood clot in his lung. Dockery was transported from his nursing home to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was pronounced dead at 9:52 a.m.[4]

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References
  1. Smothers, Ronald (1996-02-16). "Injured in '88, Officer Awakes in '96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  2. "Top 10 Comas - TIME". Time. 2008-12-08. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  3. "Ex-Officer Is Alert After Surgery but Not Talking Again". The New York Times. 1996-02-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  4. The Associated Press (1997-04-16). "Officer Who Emerged From Long Coma Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-06.

See also


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