Dead body is flung from hearse onto road after ‘vehicle’s lock failed’ in Poland as funeral home is forced to apologise
A POLISH funeral home was forced to apologise after a dead body tumbled out from a hearse onto the road in a shocking accident.
Hades Funeral Service was moving the body in Stalowa Wola, southeastern Poland when the vehicle’s electric lock failed, causing the body to fall out unexpectedly.
Polish media reported that a man was driving down a street on Friday when he first stumbled upon the body.
And for a moment he feared that he had hit the person.
Local media published an image of the corpse lying on a white-striped pedestrian crossing where it tumbled out of the hearse.
The funeral house has now issued a statement blaming the technical failure of the hearse.
It said in the statement: “It is with deep regret that we inform you that as a result of an unexpected technical failure of the electric tailgate lock in the hearse, during the transport of the body of the deceased, an unfortunate event occurred which does not reflect the high standards of our company.
“We admit our mistake and take full responsibility for what happened.
“Our deep empathy towards the families of the deceased, and the respect we always show to the deceased.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that this type of incident does not happen again in the future.”
It apologised to all those who were disappointed and upset by this event.
The company also said that an experienced employee was driving the van.
In 2019, Debbie Swales’ life became a “living hell” after her late husband Gavin’s casket smashed open as it was being lowered into his grave.
The pallbearers responsible then fled the scene leaving the couple’s distraught children to jump into the plot in an attempt to cover his body.
Recalling the harrowing moment at Newcastle’s West Road Cemetery, Debbie, 52, told ChronicleLive: “I just burst into tears. The lid smashed open and the kids jumped in [to his grave]. When lifting the coffin out it just fell to bits.
“We paid extra for a solid oak coffin with strong gold handles. We found out after that it was a replica MDF coffin that just shattered when it was dropped.
“Imagine that happening to your loved one. It is not private, 400 to 500 people were able to see him laid there.”
Heartbroken Debbie said she was forced to hold a second funeral for Gavin.
But she says funeral director Clark Pearson refused to accept the blame following the family’s horrific ordeal in November 2015.
She said: “It is not just the fact they dropped him. Of course, it was an accident. But who would run away? You would front up to what happened and not leave the family to jump into the grave.
“We have been treated dreadfully ever since. I recall standing there and I cried and cried.”