Coffin capsize upsets family

MARK TAYLOR/ Waikato Times

DISTRAUGHT: Widow Zandra Thompson, centre, is comforted by daughters Cynthia Ereuiti, left, and Cheryl Thompson, at her late husband's grave at Newstead.

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Newly widowed Hamilton woman Zandra Thompson and her family endured the funeral nightmare this week, as her husband literally turned over in his grave before his burial was complete.

As the casket containing her husband, Joseph Erueti, 72, was laid to rest in a waterlogged grave at Newstead Cemetery, it initially floated then completely flipped.

There was a disturbingly loud thud as the body hit the lid of the capsized coffin, and bubbles began to appear as water gushed up on all sides.

A Simplicity Funeral Directors official took off his shoes and jumped into the hole where water was knee-deep, but could only succeed in turning the coffin 45 degrees, while the Thompson whanau looked on in horror.

"It was heartbreaking and it was disgusting," Mrs Thompson said. "To see your husband, the man you have been with for years, turn over in his grave was just horrific.

"When he tipped to one side, they tried to fill the other side, then when he flipped right over, I told them to stop.

"We don't believe in bringing someone back up, but I was getting ready to jump down myself.

"It was just disgusting. I went from being a grieving widow to someone wanting to lash out."

Mrs Thompson was escorted from the cemetery while one of her grandsons stayed behind to make sure Mr Erueti was not buried on a lean.

Cemetery staff later pumped the water out of the hole.

Daughter-in-law Leigh Thompson blamed cemetery management for incompetence in not properly monitoring plot water levels.

"You should be able to bury loved ones without a traumatic experience like this," she said.

Hamilton City Council spokeswoman Monica Holt said that though the family had sought to do the backfilling themselves – and this was unsupervised by staff – it was nevertheless an unfortunate end.

"Council could have done better," she said. "This should never have happened and we are extremely apologetic.

"We have made a verbal apology to the immediate family and also sent them a letter. Cemetery staff are also very upset at what has been an extraordinary event."