A family was left devastated and traumatized when they discovered a stranger’s body in their loved one’s casket, leading to a relative suffering a heart attack from the shock.
During Joey Espinosa’s funeral service at a funeral home, his aunt Laura Levario noticed a different casket than the one they had chosen, and upon closer inspection, realized that the person inside was not Joey. The distressing situation caused Laura’s husband to have a heart attack due to the intense stress, and he was hospitalized for three days.
Following the confusion, the family was taken to another room at the Forest Lawn Covina Hills funeral home where another incorrect casket was placed. It took over an hour for the staff to guide them to the correct room for mourning, leaving the family in a state of distress. Forest Lawn attributed the mix-up to a “scheduling error” and offered the family a $200 apology, which fell short of covering the funeral expenses totaling nearly $20,000.
The Espinosa family has taken legal action against the California mortuary, citing emotional distress and negligence. Their attorney criticized the mortuary’s handling of the situation, emphasizing the expectation of proper procedures when paying a significant amount for services.
In a similar incident, two sisters were shocked to find a stranger dressed in their mother’s clothes in a coffin at a different funeral home before their mother’s service. Despite initial denials by the funeral home staff, the mix-up was discovered when the body of their mother, Mary Archer, was located in the embalming room.
The daughters expressed disbelief at the lack of resemblance between their mother and the person in the casket, highlighting significant size differences. After the mistake was acknowledged, the bodies were switched, allowing the funeral service to proceed as planned.