Widow's despair at coffin horror

Apr 20 2005 By Anna Jeys

SHOCKED mourners stared in horror as prayers turned to screams when the grave they were standing around collapsed - smashing open the coffin below and exposing the body of the man they had come to bury.

As loved ones looked on, a cemetery worker jumped into the grave to repair the smashed coffin lid and cover the corpse.

Today, widow Helena Ebanks slammed Birmingham City Council for turning the funeral of her husband of 32 years into a farce.

Nightmare

She said: "There was an almighty crash and everyone started pointing, then someone jumped into the grave to try and push the coffin lid back together.

"There must have been dirt on my husband's body and everyone could see the inside the coffin. People said they could see the body."

Helena, of Hobson Close, Hockley, said council workers were still digging the grave for her husband Carlton when they arrived at Handsworth Cemetery.

She said the JCB they had been using was left just yards away.

Helena said: "There was no dignity at my Carlton's funeral. He was not given the respect he deserved. It was no end to my husband's life."

Father-of-six Carlton, aged 54, a former metal polisher, died at Birmingham's City Hospital on January 16. He was diagnosed with septicemia and pneumonia.

Now 62-year-year-old retired nurse Helena is demanding an investigation.

Birmingham City Council have already sent her a £500 cheque as compensation, but Mrs Ebanks says she has rejected the offer and returned the cheque.

"You get one chance at a funeral, you can't retake it and Carlton's was ruined," she added. "It's me who has to live with this. I can't sleep, I've had nightmares ever since."

A letter from the city council said the walls of the grave had originally collapsed before mourners arrived and staff had to remove the shoring to dig out the soil.

It said the shoring was not replaced, which led to the second collapse, because it would have "added to the time delay".

Staging was put down to make sure mourners could stand safely at the grave.

A statement from Birmingham City Council said: "On March 24, a letter was received from Mrs Ebanks in which she accepted the cheque with thanks in full and final settlement of the claim. No cheque has been returned since then."

anna_jeys@mrn.co.uk