Patient Falls from Ambulance and Dies in Brazil

Officials say an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer's disease fell from an ambulance and died in southeastern Brazil.

Graciele Gomes da Silva heads the health department of the city of Joao Pinheiro. She says 82-year-old Luis Jose Lima apparently opened the ambulance's back door, fell to the highway and was hit by an oncoming car that left the scene.

Silva says that only after the ambulance had gone 10 kilometers (6 miles) did the driver realize what had happened. She says the man's daughter-in-law had dozed off while accompanying the driver and also did not notice.

In remarks posted Friday on the municipal government's website, Silva says police are investigating Wednesday's accident.