Undertaker appeals leaking corpse speeding fine
A funeral home in Gothenburg has appealed a speeding fine awarded to the driver of the company's hearse, claiming that he was distracted by the smell of fluids emanating from a corpse in the vehicle's trunk.
The macabre case arose in January when a severely damaged body was being taken to Gothenburg for a post mortem examination.
As the funeral home's regular transport vehicle was urgently required to pick up another body, the hearse was brought in to complete the journey to the National Board of Forensic Medicine.
But the trip proved more troublesome than anticipated, with the hearse ill-equipped for the transport of an untreated corpse.
In a letter addressed to Gothenburg District Court, the manager of the funeral home pleaded for the driver's dilemma to be taken into consideration.
"It was difficult for him to keep the deceased still enough to prevent fluids leaking from the body and the smell was unbearable."
When pulled over by traffic police, the driver was fined 2,000 kronor ($300) for driving at a speed of 59 kilometres per hour (37 mph) in a 50 kilometre (31 mph) zone.
Comments
See Also
The macabre case arose in January when a severely damaged body was being taken to Gothenburg for a post mortem examination.
As the funeral home's regular transport vehicle was urgently required to pick up another body, the hearse was brought in to complete the journey to the National Board of Forensic Medicine.
But the trip proved more troublesome than anticipated, with the hearse ill-equipped for the transport of an untreated corpse.
In a letter addressed to Gothenburg District Court, the manager of the funeral home pleaded for the driver's dilemma to be taken into consideration.
"It was difficult for him to keep the deceased still enough to prevent fluids leaking from the body and the smell was unbearable."
When pulled over by traffic police, the driver was fined 2,000 kronor ($300) for driving at a speed of 59 kilometres per hour (37 mph) in a 50 kilometre (31 mph) zone.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.