Michigan Family Gets Apology After Dead Man Billed $500 By Department That Removed His Corpse

MACKINAW CITY (AP) - A family said it has received an apology after a dead man was sent a bill for $500 to help defray the cost of emergency response to the northern Michigan car crash in which he died.

Carl Norman Little's stepdaughter Rebecca Beck told WPBN-WTOM that she couldn't believe that the bill was sent following last month's crash on Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City. The 64-year-old Gladstone man lost control of the car and died at the scene.

"I'm dumb-founded, frankly, with the whole thing," Beck said. "They billed my dad knowing that he was dead, because they removed his corpse."

The Mackinaw City Fire Department was among those responding to the scene, using hydraulic rescue tools to get him out of the car.

Many communities in Michigan issue such emergency response bills. A statement on Mackinaw City's website said the bill likely should have gone directly to an insurance company.

"We have issued the family a follow-up condolence letter and provided notice of steps being taken to avoid this type of situation in the future," the statement said.

Beck said the bill now has been sent to the insurance company.