HAMILTON — A lights-and-sirens ambulance run that ended with a wreck is being examined because the squad was carrying a patient who apparently had been dead for hours.

        Police and fire officials on Monday said they were looking into the Saturday incident involving Darrell R. Smith, 45.

        Officer Brian Robinson, who was trying to determine whether to cite anyone in connection with Mr. Smith's death, conferred with Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard P. Burkhardt on Monday. Then Officer Robinson filed an accident report addendum that says: “In the coroner's professional opinion, Mr. Smith had died several hours before the squad responded and began transport.”

        The report also says Mr. Smith was undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation when the crash occurred.

        Dr. Burkhardt noted that doctors at Fort Hamilton Hospital registered Mr. Smith's body temperature at 90.7 degrees shortly after the crash. That drop of nearly 8 degrees would take several hours, given that Mr. Smith was inside a home when found — not out in the cold, Dr. Burkhardt said.

        The coroner ruled that Mr. Smith died from blood clots in the lungs.

        Dr. Burkhardt declined to say whether he thought it was appropriate for paramedics to transport Mr. Smith in an ambulance with lights and sirens activated.

        Steve Dawson, deputy fire chief, said: “Why would we transport a dead body? The only thing I can say to that is, you have a 45-year-old victim, and apparently the medics saw something there that (suggested) the victim was viable. ... We don't know all of the circumstances of what the paramedics saw.”

        Mr. Dawson said he expected fire department officials to review the run, but he doubted there would be a formal investigation.

        In a number of seemingly hopeless cases, life support has succeeded, he said.

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