Coffin Crushes Hearse Driver in Crash

The driver of a hearse was crushed to death between the dashboard and a coffin in a head-on collision, authorities said.

Jack Volkering, 59, of Ft. Wright, was returning from a funeral Mass on Wednesday when a car crossed the road and struck the hearse, Police Chief Gene Schweitzer said.

The coffin broke through a metal holding post and struck Volkering in the back as the dashboard and steering wheel hit him in the chest, said Dr. Fred Stine, Campbell County coroner.

Another hearse picked up the body in the coffin immediately after the accident and it was buried Thursday as scheduled, a funeral home spokesman said.