Transporting a dead person.

monkeyspanner

We always assume funeral arrangements have to handed over to a funeral director but essentially they either have their own facilities or buy them in from contractors. Some small directors do not run their own hearses but hire them with a driver for the time required. As another poster says anyone can transport a body. If you do a web search for DIY funerals you can get lots of info including sources of coffins including alternatives like wicker and alternative burial arrangements e.g. green burial sites. Our local council also runs information sessions on how to make your own arrangements.

cabbage

We had to arrange for my dad's body to be transported from Devon to Lincolnshire. The undertakers organised this and it must have taken them all day to do it. The cost was part of the funeral costs and came out of his estate.

He had a lot of elderly relatives in Lincolnshire who couldn't make the journey to Devon and it was his wish for the funeral to be held in Lincolnshire and then be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea in Devon.

It wouldn't have mattered how much it cost as it was his wish and it was important for his brothers and sister to say goodbye.

Katykat

On a lighter note, not too long ago a mother and daughter tried to get a deceased father on a plane by saying he was "asleep". A poor taxi driver believed it up to a point and helped them get him in the taxi. Only when they got to the airport did he start to get a bit suspicious. They were trying to get him back to Germany ( I think) and it would have cost much more to transport a body rather than a living person. The deceased man had a return ticket and the women tried to use it. Not suggesting you do this of course
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11181268

Savvy_Sue

remember it well! must have freaked the airport staff out ...

getmore4less

frogglet wrote: »

We have in the last six months moved a very elderly relative from her home 200 miles away into a nursing home near to us as she has no other relatives and was being taken financial advantage of by some "friends", however that is a different story.
The question is that she had taken out a prepayment funeral insurance to be buried with her husband near to her original home. The insurance only covers death within 15miles of the stated home.
Not to sound very insensitive , but as things happen very quickly when someone dies we would like to know what is the most cost effective method of moving a dead body 200miles.

As a followup,

Do you think you will be taking on the initial notifications and are you allreasy up on that proceedure(I found it a lot easier the second time knowing what to do) and have the list ready to make the calls.

Since it is likely she will die in the home or a nearby hospital check with them what their procedures are, if the home does not have a mortury they may use a local undertakers or public mortury so check with them as well.

You may be able to get the Funeral plan coffin supplied localy and have the prep done otherwise it may require extra expence allthough basic body bags are not expensive.

Also check for local Public mortury space, if you think you might want to do the move the body yourself, they will have requirements for storage.

There are a few estates that can take 2m so just fit a coffin,

sueeve

I believe that you must discuss with a funeral director, as there are (or were until recently) regulations abut moving a dead person across county boundaries. It can be done, but official requirements must be met.

clever_username

For both the sake of the deceased person's dignity and the pretty horrendous consequences of being involved in a car accident with a dead body in a cardboard coffin, I wouldn't advise transporting someone in the back of an estate car.

It really is something that should only be done by an undertaker and a hearse I think.

Errata

In fact undertakers use estate cars to transport bodies from hospital mortuaries to chapel of rest.

molerat

One of my local undertakers uses a mondeo estate for transport.

bryanb

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

true, but if I were among the relatives I would want to be sure that the person would find this acceptable. I know it will be a bit late by then, but I'm glad to know that cremation was my dad's and is my mum's wish.

See the OP - No other relatives.