Woman Turns Private Car Into Hearse for Cross-Country Trip
April 25, 2006
The 53-year-old German woman had one goal in mind -- to get her recently deceased mother from northern city of Bremerhaven to the southwestern town of Daun.
Entrusting the journey to a funeral service would have racked up a huge bill in transportation costs, so the practically-minded women decided to take matters into her own hands and drive her dead mother across Germany in her own car.
The woman had already covered 450 km (280 miles) when, following a tip-off from the mortuary, police in Koblenz stopped her and slapped her with a fine.
"You're not allowed to transport dead people in your private car," said Ralf Schomisch, police spokesman in Koblenz.
"The corpse was on the back seat without a seat belt, which in this case didn't really matter. But it was covered up with clothing. It is a misdemeanor."
He said the woman was charged with violating German burial laws and disturbing a dead person's peace. She would face a modest fine, Schomisch said.