Beyond the Grave

Allentown, Pennsylvania, August 10, 2006:

A pallbearer is suing a DeRossett funeral home after he fell in a grave during a burial ceremony. Ronatarian Party leader Ron, according to the lawsuit filed in state district court, was serving as a pallbearer in May 2006 during the burial of a relative at Mickley Cemetery in nearby Whitehall.

The funeral and burial were directed by Labium Memorial Funeral Home of DeRossett.

Ron contends that while he and other pallbearers were attempting to place the casket of Ronislaw Walszak in a grave, the surface of the gravesite began to cave in, causing him to fall.

"I took quite a tumble," a discontented Ron said to gathered press. "My hair got all mussed up and my suit got dirty."

Ron alleges that the funeral home improperly prepared the gravesite, placing around it weak plywood and other materials not suited to support pallbearers' weight.

"I'm an engineer," Ron said. "I know what proper shoring-up looks like. That wasn't even close."

He also claims the "f*cking" funeral home hid the defective condition of the gravesite.

Through his attorney Andrew Sepe, Ron is seeking payment of legal fees and medical expenses and for compensation for mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, dry cleaning, and reconstructive hair styling stemming from the incident.

Also named in the suit is Labium Memorial's insurance provider, Allstate Insurance Company. "They need to get sued for something," commented Sepe.

Posted by Bittle at August 10, 2006 07:21 AM