Texas family sues mortuary for $1 million after two bumbling workers dropped dad Juan 'Chuco' Mejia's body down a flight of stairs leaving him with a visible 'DENT on his head' at the wake

The family of a Texas man is seeking over $1,000,000 in damages after morgue workers allegedly manhandled his remains, dropping his body and leaving bruises and a dent on his head.

Twinwood Mortuary Service is being sued by Margaret Mejia, the widow of Juan 'Chuco' Mejia, 69, along with his children William, Michelle and Melody who claim the company committed professional negligence and breached their duty to the family in mishandling Mejia's body.

The company sent two employees to collect Mejia from his daughter Melody's Houston condo after he passed away there on June 14, 2021.

But as the employees began to carry Mejia's body down the stairs, his son William closed the door and heard a thump followed by several thumps in a row, the June 19 suit alleges.

Days later at his wake, the family then noticed denting and bruising on Mejia's head 'from being dropped on the ground' - something the funeral directors Yeager Barrera Mortuary denied ever happening, the court documents allege. 

Juan 'Chuco' Mejia - an avid Dallas Cowboys fan - died on June 14, 2021, in his daughter's Houston condo

The zealous Dallas Cowboys fan is survived by his wife, Margaret, and three children

After Mejia passed, funeral services were arranged and employees from Twinwood Mortuary were sent to retrieve his body

The family contracted Yeager Barrera Mortuary of Eagle Pass, Texas, to provide funeral services and were told that Twinwood Mortuary would remove Mejia's body.

However, the lawsuit alleges that the two employees who arrived that evening to were not licensed funeral directors, which is required by the State of Texas.

Mejia's body was covered with a blanket and placed on a metal stretcher, with an employee holding either end. William noted that they 'appeared young and were visibly hesitant in their decision making.'

He offered to help carry his father's body down the stairs, but the employees refused. William then 'instructed the employees that they should request more assistance from coworkers; however, the two employees stated they did not need to and did not seek help.'

As the employees began to carry Mejia's body down the stairs, William closed the door and heard a thump followed by several thumps in a row.

He discovered that the stretcher had toppled off its rolling frame and his father's body had fallen onto the sidewalk. One employee was on his knees beside the staircase while the other was on the ground.

William saw his father's head, shoulder and upper half of his body lying on the cement. He hurried down the stairs and 'frantically covered his father's body by hugging it in an attempt to shield him from being viewed by neighbors.'

William attempted to level the stretcher and lift it, along with his father's body, off the ground but was unable to do so. He shouted at the employees to help him.

The employees sent to collect the body  'were visibly hesitant in their decision making,' according to the lawsuit filed by Mejia's widow and children

Mejia's son, William, heard a thumping noise from outside the apartment. When he opened the door, he saw his father's body lying on the concrete

The Twinwood employees are accused of tipping the stretcher, causing Mejia's body to fall to the ground and leaving his head, shoulder and upper body exposed

William rushed outside and frantically tried to cover his father's corpse, shielding it with his own body, to prevent neighbors from seeing it

William was left with pain in his arm and back, according to the lawsuit.

One employee 'apologized for the situation and agreed that the situation should not have happened the way it did,' admitting that 'no one should have seen what William Mejia saw.'

After the employees righted the stretcher and carried his father's body away, William contacted Yeager Barrera funeral home to inform them of the incident.

When the funeral home responded, William was told 'the employees reported that they had safely put Juan Mejia's body down slowly to better adjust their grip, and that nothing else occurred.'

On June 18, 2021, the family arrived at Yeager Barrera mortuary in Eagle Pass for Mejia's wake.

William and his mother, Margaret, were the first to see the open casket. The family noticed denting and bruising on Mejia's head 'from being dropped on the ground by the employees' who transported his body. 

'This caused tremendous mental anguish for Plaintiff, and even interfered with his and his family's grieving process,' the petition reads.

The employees denied dropping the body and said  'they had safely put Juan Mejia's body down slowly to better adjust their grip'

At the wake, Mejia sported a noticeable dent on his head along with bruising, much to the bewilderment of his family

His widow and three children are suing the mortuary service for negligence and seeking over $1million in damages

Twinwood Mortuary Services was founded by Todd and Julie Liem and advertises itself as 'providing a level of service never before seen in Houston'

 Twinwood Mortuary Services was founded in 2012 by husband and wife duo Todd and Julie Liem, according to their website.

Julie has a over a decade's experience as a licensed funeral director and embalmer, while Todd has a background in construction.

'Since April 2012, Twinwood Mortuary Service has been providing a level of service never before seen in Houston,' the website says.

'No other Independent Mortuary Service comes close to Twinwood's level of service. We are proud of the facility we built and the service we provide.'

The Mejia family continues to grieve and commemorate the loss of their father and husband each year.

Back in 2021, Melody confirmed on social media that the family 'made the difficult decision to end my father's treatment and bring him home for hospice care — to be surrounded by our warmth and love.'

She added: 'We hope that you can continue to remember and honor my father by living life to the fullest - like he always did (especially when cheering on the Dallas Cowboys).'

On January 23, Melody posted to Facebook, thanking those who honored her father's life through random acts of kindness.

She announced that family and friends had collectively raised $1,000 for chemotherapy care kits and gifts cards for patients of the ThriveWell Cancer Foundation, a Texas-based charity.

'Once more, thank you for helping us celebrate Chuck,' she wrote, referring to her father by his nickname.

'We hope you continue to live your life the way my father did...spreading kindness and laughs to everyone you cross paths with.'