The pain caused by cremation errors is hard to describe. Families who’ve gone through it describe it as having to experience grief twice: first, they lose their loved one to death, and then they’re robbed of their ability to say goodbye in the way they planned or to honor the deceased’s last wishes. And it’s almost always an error caused by carelessness or disregard. When funeral home negligence has made your pain even worse, the attorneys at Bochetto & Lentz can help.
Professionals in the funeral home business assume responsibility for our loved ones’ final journeys. There are steps that need to be followed no matter what the person’s wishes were. Death certificates need to be signed and forms need to be filled out at every step of the way. A cremation is not something that just happens: a specific authorization form must be signed by the person’s spouse or next of kin, and there are numerous times and places where identification is supposed to be checked, including the location where the person died, the coroner’s office, the funeral home or crematorium.
Cremation Errors
There are many kinds of cremation errors that take place. Sometimes a person is cremated when they are not supposed to be. Sometimes the grieving family is given the wrong remains. Anywhere that the body spends time, the people who are in charge are supposed to follow critical steps to ensure that mistakes don’t get made. These steps for cremation include:
- Placing an identification tag on the body.
- Placing the body into a body bag that is also marked with that number.
- The identifying tag remains on the body at all times, including into the crematorium.
- The body’s identification tag should also contain the information about which crematory it is to be sent to.
- The container that the body is to be placed in is also marked with the identification number.
- All paperwork should contain the proper identification number, which should be constantly checked and rechecked.
No matter what type of cremation error takes place, it is the result of carelessness, and it can cause great pain. Though nothing can ease your grief or loss, those who are responsible can be held to account and made to compensate you for what you’ve gone through. The funeral home negligence attorneys at Bochetto & Lentz have extensive experience in pursuing this kind of carelessness and getting your family compensation for its pain. Call us today to see how we can help.