A pair of clumsy mortuary workers dropped a dead man down his family's staircase and later denied it — even though he had an apparent dent in his head, lawsuit says

• A lawsuit from a Texas family claims a pair of mortuary workers dropped their dead relative.
• The workers denied the event even happened, the family says in the suit.

A Texas family is suing a mortuary in Houston for $1 million after they claimed in a lawsuit that two workers dropped their deceased loved one and left him with dents in his head.

The lawsuit, first reported by the Daily Beast, alleges that the body of Juan "Chuco" Mejia, a postal worker who died at 69, was mishandled by two workers at Twinwood Mortuary. The family claims that the incident caused them "severe mental anguish" per a complaint viewed by Insider.

Twinwood and lawyers for the family did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

On June 14, 2021, following Mejia's death, the family said they were notified about the mortuary service coming to pick up their loved one. Two men arrived that night, but the family noted that they appeared "young and were visibly hesitant in their decision-making." The lawsuit also claims, based on "information and belief," that the two were not licensed funeral directors.

When offered help, the family said in the complaint that the pair refused. They also refused to call in more coworkers for help. They then proceeded to move Mejia, who was placed on a metal stretcher with a white cloth on top, outside of the condo "feet first."

The family closed the door as the pair walked out and then heard a "thump" and "several thumps in a row," per the lawsuit. William Mejia, one of the family members, came outside to see his father's "head, shoulder, and upper half of the body uncovered and exposed" on the cement of a public courtyard.

The son then had to shout at the employees to help get his father back onto a wheeled stretcher and hurt himself helping the pair. The complaint said the two men apologized immediately after the incident.

The family eventually called about the Twinwood employees but were later told that the pair denied that they had ever dropped Mejia.

However, family members said during his wake they observed "denting and bruising on Juan Mejia's head from being dropped on the ground by the employees who transported him."

The family filed their suit exactly two years after their father's death, and are suing for negligence and gross negligence.