Man on life support after being declared dead
Man on life support after being declared dead

By Julie Bisbee and Micah Gamino

Published: November 21, 2007

For more than six hours Monday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol classified Zack Dunlap of Frederick as the state's 610th motor vehicle accident-related fatality of the year.

But the patrol removed Dunlap from the list the same day after learning the man showed signs of life shortly before his organs were to be harvested for transplant at a Texas hospital.

An organ transplant organization official calls such a scenario highly unusual. Dunlap's family credits his return to the power of prayer.

The events seem extreme — and something Dunlap might enjoy.

According to his Web page on MySpace, Dunlap appears to be a thrill seeker. He likes speed and isn't afraid to jump his four-wheeler off the sand dunes of western Oklahoma.

But last weekend, those thrills seemingly met an abrupt end after a four-wheeler accident Saturday evening left him with serious head and trunk injuries, the patrol said.

Dunlap was hurt about 7:30 p.m. while riding his four-wheeler on a county road less than a mile west of Davidson with a friend.

Troopers said Dunlap's four-wheeler hit the rear of Colton Gains' four-wheeler. The collision caused Dunlap's vehicle to spin 180 degrees and he was thrown off, according to the patrol's report.

Dunlap, 21, was flown to United Regional Healthcare System in Wichita Falls, where he was put on life support.

Doctors pronounced him dead at 11:10 a.m. Monday, said trooper Betsy Randolph, a patrol spokeswoman.

However, "He's alive," said Randolph, after speaking with officials at United Regional late Monday.

As a worker removed tubes from Dunlap's body in preparation for doctors to harvest his organs, Dunlap reached out and touched a nurse's arm, Randolph said.

Prayer credited in events

His family issued a written statement Tuesday saying, "We know that everyone wants information about Zack's condition and injury. He is currently in critical condition in the ICU. The events which occurred on Monday following his accident can only be described as a miracle. The power of prayer is amazing, please don't stop."

Dunlap remained in critical condition and on life support Tuesday, surrounded by family and friends as he continues to recover from serious head and internal injuries, said Kim Maddin, director of community relations for the hospital.

Dunlap's parents, Pam and Doug Dunlap, asked for privacy as "we give all our attention to our son."

Dunlap's MySpace page on the Internet is filled with pictures of him on his four-wheeler. Some show him jumping off sand dunes. On the page, he describes himself as somebody who likes to have a good time.

On the section of the page titled "About Me," Dunlap wrote, "Here's to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold beer-and another one!"

Specifics about Dunlap's case were not released Tuesday.

Phil Van Stavern a spokesman for LifeShare of Oklahoma, which handles all organ donations and transplants for the Sooner State, said he couldn't speak about Dunlap's case because he didn't know the details.

But he did say the likelihood that someone who has been confirmed to be brain dead could "wake up" is "almost impossible."

Source: LifeShare Oklahoma

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