Estate Planning

"Dead Weight" or "Dead Air" - not sure which play on words is more apt in this case...

By Hull and Hull LLP

The Sunday Times recently reported that two women were arrested for trying to push a dead relative strapped to a wheelchair onto a flight leaving out of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.  The charge - suspicion of failing to give notification of a death.

Police were apparently called when staff at the check-in desk became suspicious about the elderly man in the wheelchair. He was partially hidden behind sunglasses and did not appear to be moving.  While staff were told he was sleeping, it turns out he had been dead for some time.

It was reported that the ladies were likely attempting to evade the complex and costly process of repatriating human remains abroad - bodies being repatriated by air are required to be contained inside hermetically-sealed zinc-lined coffins and kept in the cargo hold for the duration of the journey. It is also necessary for the proper paperwork to be in place.

It is amazing the lengths these ladies went to to avoid abiding by the rules and regulations one has to adhere to before transporting human remains to a foreign country. Truly a bizarre tale!

Have a great weekend,

Natalia R. Angelini - Click here to learn more about Natalia Angelini.

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on May 07, 2010 (boomark / email).