Responding to a lawsuit?s allegations that Crist Mortuary employees dropped the casket of a 20-year-old Boulder High School graduate on the day of his funeral, letting his body roll onto the pavement, the mortuary?s general manager apologized.

?We made a mistake,? said Michael Greenwood, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with the Boulder mortuary. ?I do apologize for that and have apologized to the parents.?

Greenwood declined to comment further because of the pending litigation, but added ?this is the first time it?s ever happened to me.?

Phillip Maldonado, the father of Alex Maldonado, who was killed in a motorcycle accident July 4, filed the lawsuit in Boulder County District Court on Friday. He said he was with the employees as they brought his son?s casket back to the mortuary from the funeral, and has had nightmares about seeing his body fall to the ground.

Photo: Alex Maldonado, as a junior at Boulder High in 2006, returns a ball during a No. 3 singles match at Cherry Creek High School. Photo by Joshua Lawton / Daily Camera / Sept. 19, 2006 ( JOSHUA LAWTON )

Source: DailyCamera.com