Idaho Widow Sues Funeral Home for Cremating Husband's Prosthetic Leg

FOX News ^ | June 17, 2007 | Associated Press

[Baladas]

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A northern Idaho woman says a funeral home cremated her husband without permission and in the process destroyed an artificial leg worth more than $7,000.

DeeDee Strimas also claims in a lawsuit that English Funeral Chapels & Crematory gave her the cremated remains of someone other than her husband.

She is suing for the value of the leg and for damages of more than $10,000 for "emotional and physical distress." She suffers from "headaches, depression, insomnia accompanied by nightmares, and fear that the remains are not those of her late husband," her lawsuit says.

John Strimas died on July 24, 2005, at age 62. He was a local doctor.

According to the lawsuit, a funeral home employee gave DeeDee Strimas a cremation authorization form three days later. But she said she later learned her husband's remains had been cremated a day earlier.

The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges that the funeral home filled out paperwork reporting her husband had no prosthetics. But she said her husband was an amputee, and the lawsuit claims his prosthetic was either thrown away or cremated with his body.

[Baladas]

Okkkkkkay....

[Asclepius]

She is suing for the value of the leg and for damages of more than $10,000 for "emotional and physical distress." She suffers from "headaches, depression, insomnia accompanied by nightmares, and fear that the remains are not those of her late husband," her lawsuit says.

Refund the woman the fair market value of a used prosthetic leg. The rest of her claim is risible on its face.

[wideawake]

She's not asking for much, seeing as how:

(1) The cremated her husband without proper authorization

(2) They lost her husband's remains

(3) They destroyed a very valuable piece of equipment.

[KJC1]

I agree.

It does not look frivolous at all to me.

[ozzymandus]

If that leg was plastic, it might have made a hell of a fire in the crematorium. A friend of mine is an undertaker (he prefers “funeral director”), and he told me they have to be very careful when cremating a grossly obese person. All that fat can cause an uncontrollable grease fire.

[gov_bean_ counter]

But she said her husband was an amputee, and the lawsuit claims his prosthetic was either thrown away or cremated with his body.

Probably should have checked Ebay.

[GoldCountryRedneck]

he told me they have to be very careful when cremating a grossly obese person.

I've actually wondered about that! But ... I do NOT want to know how they actually do it...

[ozzymandus]

Apparently, there have actually been crematoria that burned down because of this.

[ex-snook]

Don’t think she has as leg to stand on.

[Huntress]

Non ping?

[Slings and Arrows]

The evidence leans in her favor.

[metmom]

Aren’t those generally made to order. It’s not like anyone else could use it, could they?

[metmom]

The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges that the funeral home filled out paperwork reporting her husband had no prosthetics. But she said her husband was an amputee, and the lawsuit claims his prosthetic was either thrown away or cremated with his body.

It does sound like there's some question about whether or not they had the right body. Sounds like the funeral home did screw up.

[GOP_Raider]

The FR Idaho Ping List FReepmail GOP_Raider to be on or off this list. (Slings and Arrows gets the assist for those of you scoring at home.)

[JRios1968]

In a completely un-related story, Heather Mills was spotted recently with a new prosthetic leg...

[Caramelgal]

This is what you get when you bid for funeral services on E-Bay.

Seriously, I’m confused about what she’s suing for – did she or didn’t she want her husband’s remains cremated? If they did it without her permission that’s one thing but it sounds more like a case of paperwork delay and not toasting the guy when that’s not what she (or he) wanted.

The article makes it sound like she’s most upset that they lost or burned up his prosthetic leg. So she wanted it back? Yuk! What was she planning to do with it – prop it up in the corner and festively decorate it for the holidays? Find some one-legged homeless guy and say “Merry Christmas?”

It all comes down to our mortal shell turning to dust in the end anyway.

If the funeral home did something against expressly against her wishes or violated any laws or “ethics” (and does the funeral industry have any now days?) then she may have a case but the whole "..emotional and physical distress." She suffers from "headaches, depression, insomnia accompanied by nightmares, and fear that the remains are not those of her late husband," smacks of trying cash in on the lawsuit gravy train. Just because she’s neurotic doesn’t mean the funeral home should have to pay for it.

I had decided to be cremated but lately I’ve been considering donating my body to medical science. I realize that this might be a hard decision for my family to take, but I really like the idea that the body I no longer need, can contribute to a future doctor’s training or help researchers find ways to help the still living.

[Caramelgal]

This is what you get when you bid for funeral services on E-Bay.

Seriously, I’m confused about what she’s suing for – did she or didn’t she want her husband’s remains cremated? If they did it without her permission that’s one thing but it sounds more like a case of paperwork delay and not toasting the guy when that’s not what she (or he) wanted.

The article makes it sound like she’s most upset that they lost or burned up his prosthetic leg. So she wanted it back? Yuk! What was she planning to do with it – prop it up in the corner and festively decorate it for the holidays? Find some one-legged homeless guy and say “Merry Christmas?”

It all comes down to our mortal shell turning to dust in the end anyway.

If the funeral home did something against expressly against her wishes or violated any laws or “ethics” (and does the funeral industry have any now days?) then she may have a case but the whole "..emotional and physical distress." She suffers from "headaches, depression, insomnia accompanied by nightmares, and fear that the remains are not those of her late husband," smacks of trying cash in on the lawsuit gravy train. Just because she’s neurotic doesn’t mean the funeral home should have to pay for it.

I had decided to be cremated but lately I’ve been considering donating my body to medical science. I realize that this might be a hard decision for my family to take, but I really like the idea that the body I no longer need, can contribute to a future doctor’s training or help researchers find ways to help the still living.

[RobinOfKingston]

...risible...

I love that word. Makes me laugh every time I see it.

[festus]

The article makes it sound like she’s most upset that they lost or burned up his prosthetic leg. So she wanted it back? Yuk! What was she planning to do with it

That does seem to be the jist of it. As to what to do with it. Have you ever seen A Christmas Story ?

[Caramelgal]

Have you ever seen A Christmas Story ?

The question is not have I, but how many hundreds of times have I seen that movie.

In a Christmas Story, that was a “Major Award”! It was "fagile" and it was “the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window”.

It wasn't dead Uncle Bob prosthetic leg.

[festus]

True. But it was the first thing that came to mind about what to do with a spare plastic leg............ ;-)

I watch that movie every year at least once.

[Daffynition]

[Billthedrill]

I know this funeral parlor. There's this really tall guy there with this silver sphere he likes to carry and a bunch of dwarves in cloaks scurrying around.

Yeah. That guy. "Booooooyyyyyyyy!!!"