Winnipeg minister calls for end of funeral processions after T-bone crash
Thomas Novak's car was totalled when it was struck during a funeral procession
Lay minister Thomas Novak says he wants the practice of funeral processions to end after he was hit by a vehicle going through a green light at a Winnipeg intersection.
Novak, who was presiding over the Aug.13 funeral, said he was about fourth in the 10-car procession when he reached the intersection.
"As I was approaching, it was turning yellow and I said, 'What do I do? If I stop suddenly, we're going to create a multiple collision,'" Novak told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.
The minister made it halfway through the intersection before he was hit on the passenger side and his car was totalled.
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No one was seriously injured, but Novak said it could have been much worse. The van behind him was carrying about seven passengers, including several children, he said.
"That would have been a real serious incident if we would have been one second difference in timing," he said.
Now Novak is raising the alarm about what he calls an "accident waiting to happen."
Procession has right-of-way
A funeral procession is a motorcade that goes between the funeral home and the cemetery, generally at a slow speed.
Road rules about funeral processions vary across the country. According to the Manitoba Driver's Handbook, drivers in that province who approach a funeral procession should know that it has the right-of-away — even at a red light.
"Drivers of vehicles in a funeral procession with lighted headlights and following a lead car may, if traffic conditions and local bylaws permit, go through a red light or stop sign with caution," it reads.
"The drivers of all other vehicles must yield the right-of-way to the procession. The lead car in the funeral procession may be equipped with a flashing amber light."
Novak, who presides over several funerals a week, said that with the increased popularity of cremations, many people today don't know what to do when they see a procession.
"They will drive into the procession, go through a few red lights with a procession and then go on their way," he said.
"Or they'll simply drive right through the procession."
Novak said when he was involved in the collision, the lead car was traveling at around 40 km/h .
He said he has noticed that the speed of the lead car is dependant on the funeral home.
'Putting ... 100 or 150 people's lives at risk'
With independent funeral homes, or "mom-and-pop" businesses, Novak said the lead driver will stop at an intersection, wait until the whole procession is bumper to bumper, then proceed through at 5 to 8 km/h.
Novak said drivers who work for larger chains are more likely to drive faster.
"Funeral directors need to get much better training and they need to know… that they are putting maybe 100 or 150 people's lives at risk unless you're driving very carefully," he said.
The Manitoba Funeral Service Association (MFSA) told the Winnipeg Free Press that there is not a specific policy for funeral processions, but that the expectations is that they proceed at 10 to 20 kilometres below the speed limit.
MFSA president Michael Gibbens told the paper the tradition should not be ended because "funeral processions are a ceremonial aspect of saying goodbye to an important member of the community."
Novak said he would rather see funeral attendees meet at the gates of the cemetery and then walk in procession to the grave.
Novak said he doesn't plan on taking part in any more funeral processions and will suggest the same to other funeral attendees.
"I will also warn them that they are taking a risk," he said.
Written by Sarah Jackson. Produced by Jeanne Armstrong.