New Jersey woman wrongly declared dead as a child dies at 94
DELANCO, N.J. -- A New Jersey woman who was hit by a car and was wrongly declared dead as a child in 1930 has died at age 94.
A worker at Sweeney Funeral Home in Riverside says Margaret Gatti died Saturday at a Wilmington, Delaware, assisted-living facility.
Gatti’s daughter tells Philly.com Gatti was the victim of a hit-and-run in Delanco when she was 9 years old. Gatti had a fractured skull, a crushed pelvis and a broken leg.
Daughter Mary Girifalco says Gatti was pronounced dead by a physician and was taken to a morgue, where someone noticed the sheet over her face moving up and down with her breath.
She says her mother “was very resilient” throughout her life. She says her mother had scars but walked well and had three children.
According to Philly.com, Gatti is survived by her daughter, son, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.