Dead Man Could Get Liposuction to Fit in Coffin

Funeral Industry News July 19, 2010
CDFuneralNews

We believe that every funeral director should have the tools to succeed. With the help of our field-leading partners, we publish daily funeral industry news and provide free tools to help our readers advance their careers and grow their businesses. Our editorial focus on the future, covering impact-conscious funeral care, trends, tech, marketing, and exploring how today's funeral news affects your future.


Dead Man Could Get Liposuction to Fit in Coffin

imageThe family of Romania’s fattest man is considering having liposuction performed on his deceased body after realizing that they will be unable to afford a coffin big enough to accommodate his remains, The Sun reported.

Cristian Capatanescu, who weighed 868 pounds, died of multiple organ failure at a hospital in Bucharest. He had been waiting for doctors to perform a stomach reduction surgery in order to help him lose the weight.

The Austrian Times reported that relatives want Capatanescu’s body to be reduced enough so that he can fit into a regular sized coffin.

The family would have two funerals, Capatanescu’s wife said. They want to cremate the parts of his body that will be taken away during the procedure and then bury the body in a separate traditional service.

Oversized coffins are in more demand as obesity is on the rise everywhere, including America.

MyFox Austin reported in May that the demand for oversized caskets has risen in recent years. Caskets have gone from the customary 24 inches all the way up to 52 inches ? more than double.

This is costing families big. Extra costs stem from additional equipment needed to carry the casket to larger graves having to be dug in the cemetery.

Some funeral homes are taking this into consideration when building new facilities. Weed-Corley Fish Funeral Homes in Lakeway, Texas, had double doors put in every entrance to accommodate the influx of larger coffins, MyFox Austin reported.

A funeral for an obese person can cost up to twice the amount of an average-size person.

Source: MyFoxCD.com

Photo: (Ambient Damage / Flickr.com / Creative Commons)