Franklin County Man Mistakenly Declared Dead Out Of Hospital

LOUISBURG — The Franklin County man who was mistakenly declared dead is out of the hospital.

Family members told Mike Charbonneau of WRAL-TV that Larry Donnell Greene has made enough progress to be released from Duke Hospital.

They said Greene is now continuing his rehab in a care facility in Wilson.

He still has a long road ahead, but those who know him said he's come a long way since that night almost two months ago when he was pronounced dead after he was hit by a car and later discovered to be alive in the morgue.

"He's starting his new life now because after what happened nobody thought he was going to make it," said Abdul Ahmed, Greene's friend. "I'm glad he's out and I hope he's going to do better."

Ahmed said Greene's family members call his friend's progress slow but promising.

"When you call his name he can understand you want to talk to him, and when he looks at you he knows who you are," Ahmed said.

Raymond Stone, a Franklin County commissioner, added: "We just hope the best will come out of this for him, as well as the paramedics."

A judge has ruled that paramedic Randy Kearney, one of the four emergency workers who initially lost their jobs over the error, should have his credentials reinstated until a hearing on the matter takes place.

"I'm very pleased that the judge has seen fit to do this," Stone said.

He added that it would be up to the Franklin County manager whether Kearney would return to work until the hearing.

Stone said he expects discussion on whether to rehire Kearney until the hearing to begin this week. He said it would probably take several months to resolve everything.

"It would be my great hope that he would be restored to employment until the full hearing can be held," Stone said. "I don't believe they did anything wrong at all; the law is not clear in terms of who can pronounce a person dead or alive."