Safe Luxury

Can an infant burial vault collapse?

My girlfriend went to her sons grave today and the ground was sunken, so much so that she could stand in it and the surrounding area was up to her mid calf. There are two questions we have: 1. Could the vault have collapsed? It was plastic or fiberglass, so that is what our thoughts are. I wouldnt thin that the natural settling of the dirt could cause THAT much sinking. 2. Would there be a way of proving it and getting it repaired, replaced, or fixed, other than just covering it with dirt? Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I cant find anything on the internet. We live in Florida, so snow is not the case, and his vault is NOT concrete... It is plastic or fiberglass. The vault was also a combo vault, so it latches around the bottom of the casket. It was not actually in the ground until the casket was placed in the ground. Before lowering, the vault was placed over the casket, if that helps.

Public Comments

1. oh my ... I am so sorry this happened this is awful and someone should be responsible for it
2. Very unlikely it would collapse. They are reinforced concrete, and with that small of a volume are sturdier than full sized vaults. More than likely, the back-fill was not properly compacted and the dirt has settled. That is common, and they will put more dirt on the grave to level it out. If it was wet or there was frost in the ground when the grave was filled, there will be a great deal of settling. If they did indeed buy a plastic or fiberglass vault (I didn't even know those were available) it is nobody's fault but her own for going with something that cheap and flimsy when the arrangements were made.
3. If the grave was filled in with snow mixed with the dirt this would happen. It is actually quite common. Love and blessings Don
4. More than likely, the ground has settled due to poor compaction of the soil after the burial. It's just like digging a hole in the yard and then refilling it. You usually have a small amount left over if the ground was not packed back in right. But your right about the depth. that doesn't sound right. I'd contact the funeral home that did the service. I'm sure that they would either have the people right the problem. If not, I'd contact a lawyer, not to sue, but get them to correct it. Very sorry to hear of your girlfriends loss.
5. The pyramids are the only structure that can't collapse. Of course its possible ..but without digging down and checking, there is no way to know. Talk to the people who manage the burial grounds and see what they say. Or it might be that they didnt fill the hole adequately and the dirt settled in the air pockets of the soil. Most burial devices are designed to withstand burial. I think its unlikely it collapsed. I think its just the air pockets in the dirt filling in. Maybe it needs another layer of dirt over the plot.
6. This happened to our family this year with a loved ones grave and I know how heart wrenching it is to see it, but it turns out that it is actually quite common. Your girlfriend needs to speak with the cemetery office immediately. In our case, the cemetery took care of it the very day we alerted them to the problem. I am sorry for what you and your girlfriend are going through, may you both find peace.
7. I'm very sorry for her loss. How long ago was the burial? If it was recent, I would say it was due to the natural ground compaction which can take weeks or even months, depending on the soil. Cemeteries usually won't compact the soil manually since that could cause the casket to collapse. They will leave a mound of earth and let it compact naturally. But, if the burial was some time ago, there's a slight chance it did collapse and you should bring it to the attention of the cemetery attendants..
8. No, the vault probably didn't collapse. The ground may have settled. Make them take it out, check it and then do it properly.