Community Forums

Gordon Dewald · 06-10-2016, 06:22 PM

Whatever you do get someone authorized to move the body.

Friends husband was sick so they decided they would head back home to Montana from Yuma. He was feeling really poorly so she drove while he stayed in the 5er. Part way home he died. Since there was nothing to do about it she decided to continue home. Upon arriving at home the police got involved when she went to drop the body at the funeral home.

She was charged with a bunch of charges relating to transporting a body etc. Took a lot of explaining and lawyers to get her out of trouble.

terryl · 06-10-2016, 06:57 PM

Gordon, "getting someone authorized to move the body" wouldn't have prevented the situation your friend found herself in. This signed release form applies when a death occurs in a hospital, nursing home, hospice, skilled nursing facility, and in some cases, a private residence, if the patient had been under hospice care or seen by a physician within a specified period of time.

Pulling up to a mortuary with a deceased person in your car, RV or pickup truck, especially if they have been brought across State lines, will raise an immediate red flag, and it will be incumbent on the funeral director to notify the proper authorities.

I'm sorry that your friend got caught in the middle of this, especially after suffering the loss of her husband on their way home. Desperate people do desperate things, and in this case there were consequences.

Any death that occurs while traveling in a vehicle should be immediately reported to the authorities. They will know, depending on the jurisdiction, what other agencies (coroner) would have to be involved.

Gordon Dewald · 06-11-2016, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by terryl

Gordon, "getting someone authorized to move the body" wouldn't have prevented the situation your friend found herself in. This signed release form applies when a death occurs in a hospital, nursing home, hospice, skilled nursing facility, and in some cases, a private residence, if the patient had been under hospice care or seen by a physician within a specified period of time.

Pulling up to a mortuary with a deceased person in your car, RV or pickup truck, especially if they have been brought across State lines, will raise an immediate red flag, and it will be incumbent on the funeral director to notify the proper authorities.

I'm sorry that your friend got caught in the middle of this, especially after suffering the loss of her husband on their way home. Desperate people do desperate things, and in this case there were consequences.

Any death that occurs while traveling in a vehicle should be immediately reported to the authorities. They will know, depending on the jurisdiction, what other agencies (coroner) would have to be involved.

Yup - as you say. She found out she should have notified the police as soon as she found him. Who knows what any of us would have done in the same situation. Who knows all of the rules. Didn't hurt a thing to keep going IMO but there are rules. Could of said she found him when they got home??

Bamaman · 06-11-2016, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

We have arrangements with a 'whole body donation'........hospital harvests viable organs then cremation

Figure we're done with it....MAYBE someone else can benefit.

Do you mean they're going to use you as a cadaver in a medical school?

I hope that I'll be so old when I die that there will be little of any use to anyone.

beamisl · 06-12-2016, 07:17 AM

My Mother had pre-arranged funeral plans. The funeral home changed hands and I wasn't comfortable with the new owners handling her services.

I found the previous staff from that funeral home were now in business themselves and moved Mom's services over there. The only problem we had was the previous company "couldn't" find her policy even though I had been in talking to them a month before her death and they had it then.

The policy was located finally and funds transferred. I was told at the time that these pre-planned policies can be moved to anywhere you move or travel.

It's a good idea to take care of this ahead of time so your family doesn't need to. Pay for things and save your family the trouble at a time of sorrow.

fandblaj · 06-12-2016, 04:14 PM

Thank you all. Cremation at the closest available place and a trip home for a nice memorial sounds like the way to go. The organ harvesting thing sounds good too.

MSHappyCampers · 06-13-2016, 02:28 PM

I've always been a little leery about those pre-arranged funeral plans. You're putting your full trust in that funeral home having those funds available when you need them. What would keep them from spending those funds and going bankrupt?

Yeah, I know they are supposed to be protected, but I'm just not comfortable with that!