Cop Stops Funeral Procession, Causes Crash

A New Zealand policewoman ordered a hearse to pull over as it led a funeral cortege, causing several mourners' vehicles to crash into each other "like dominoes," local media reported Wednesday.

Police have launched an internal inquiry after the policewoman ordered the hearse to stop as it led up to 100 cars to Te Anau cemetery on South Island last week.

Three vehicles were damaged, two of them extensively, in nose-to-tail crashes that followed the flag down.

"I thought it was absolutely disgusting," an unnamed son of the dead man told the Southland Times newspaper.

"Here we are taking dad to the cemetery and we are all pulled over and there are accidents behind us. It was just like dominoes," the newspaper reported the mourner saying.

The man said he could not understand how the policewoman could not know it was a funeral procession, and demanded she pay for the damage to the cars.

Local police chief, Inspector Tony O'Neill, declined to comment on the incident, saying it was under investigation after a complaint had been laid with police. He declined to identify the complainant.

The funeral director, who asked not to be identified, said he had been traveling at about 40 miles an hour on the highway at the head of the cortege — well within the speed limit.

The hearse headlights were on as were the lights of the 80 to 100 cars behind him.

A policewoman parked on the opposite side of the road had gestured at him to pull over, the funeral director said.

Three cars back in the cortege crashed as it came to a halt.

No one was injured in the accident.