Family Sues Morgue, Alleging Workers Dropped Dad's Body

They claim Juan Mejia's head was dented and bruised as a result
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2023 3:00 PM CDT
Family Sues Morgue, Alleging Father's Head Was Dented
The family said they noticed the damage to Juan Mejia's head at the wake.   (Getty Images / RobertHoetink)

Lawsuits involving morgues are bound to be grim, and the one filed by a Texas family is no exception. The relatives of Juan Mejia are suing a Houston morgue for negligence, alleging its employees dropped Mejia's body as they were removing it on a metal stretcher from his daughter's second-floor condo, damaging the man's head. They allege that the two employees of Twinwood Mortuary Service who showed up on June 14, 2021, were young, "visibly hesitant in their decision making," declined a family member's offer to assist, and rejected advice that they get additional help from co-workers, reports NBC News.

Mejia's son says that after closing the condo door, a "thump" was audible, followed by "several thumps in a row." William Mejia says that upon opening the door, he saw an overturned metal stretcher and his father's head and upper body uncovered and "exposed on the ground," per the suit; William tried to shield his father's body from neighbors "by hugging it." The suit claims that William took the lead in righting the stretcher and getting the body back on it. It was only during the wake days later that they "observed denting and bruising on Juan Mejia's head," which "caused tremendous mental anguish," the suit says. USA Today reports the suit alleges the remains were removed without a licensed funeral director present, in violation of Texas state law. (More mortuary stories.)

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