Humans have had a long history with trying to declare people dead and getting it wrong. Occasionally a dead body would be exhumed from the ground only to discover scratch marks on the lid of the coffin.
This led to inventions like safety coffins which allowed people to live until help could arrive.
This led to inventions like safety coffins which allowed people to live until help could arrive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_coffin
Today, we don't need it inventions like that anymore, largely because the embalming process ensures the recently deceased are in fact deceased.