A Georgia family was furious after they received what they thought were their loved one’s ashes, only to allegedly find out later they belonged to someone else. Now, the family of Patricia Bradley is suing the hospital, funeral home, and cremation service, as no one is stepping forward to take responsibility, WSB-TV reported.
The Bradleys first got the ashes from Speers-Shelton Funeral Home in September before Patricia’s memorial service. They realized something was wrong when the following month they got a phone call from the Southern Regional Medical Center about claiming her body.
“We are devastated,” Bradley’s daughter Regina Wynn told WSB-TV.
“This is more than just negligence,” her attorney CK Hoffler said. “This is inexcusable.”
Funeral director Edwin Shelton told WSB’s Nicole Carr that he thought they had the proper remains, and that Cremation Services of Atlanta gave them the wrong ones. The cremation company’s president, Mike Boston, denied this, claiming he had proof that refuted what Shelton said. He claimed that Shelton delivered a body to them on October 11, and that Shelton signed for the labeled remains on October 16. This was long after the Bradley family had been given someone else’s ashes.
The Southern Regional Medical Center also insisted that they did everything they were supposed to and were not at fault. In a statement to the local station, they said:
Southern Regional Medical Center has provided the plaintiffs’ counsel, CK Hoffler, with detailed information that proves why Southern Regional had no role in this case and exonerates Southern of any wrongdoing. Official records and documentation show the hospital followed all appropriate processes and policies in releasing the correct body to Speer-Shelton Funeral Home. Although Ms. Hoffler’s complaint alleges that Southern Regional released a different body to Speer-Shelton Funeral Home earlier in time, this allegation is false.
[Image via WSB-TV screengrab]
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