RV Owner Fights with Mechanic Over Dead Body Cleanup

Finding a dead body isn’t something most of us will ever have to face.  But, for one mechanic, the reality of death looked at him straight in the face.  As you will soon learn, you can never really prepare yourself for something like this. 

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Mechanic Shop Finds Dead Body In RV

On February 20^th of this year, two tow truck drivers were going about their daily routine when they noticed a foul smell coming from an RV.  The RV was parked in the parking lot of Charlotte Harbor Exhaust and Auto Service and was waiting for repairs.  After alerting the owner of the shop, the group of men investigated the situation and found a dead body inside. The police were called and they investigated the scene.  The dead body was that of a homeless man who appears to have taken shelter in the RV while enjoying a few beers. After the body was taken to the crime lab, it was ruled that the man died from natural causes.  While the body was removed, a death cleanup company was still needed to be called in.  It was really a strange day for all involved but things were about to get even weirder. 

The Plot Thickens

Mike Colson got a call from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and was informed that a dead body was found in his RV.  Being 1,000 miles from Charlotte, Florida, Colson didn’t know what to do.  At first, he thought it was a prank call but then later realized that this was actually happening.  The deputy who called Colson informed him that the body had been in the RV for quite some time and had started to decompose.  The death scene was rather gruesome but no foul play was involved. 

The Fight Begins

Colson was now left with an RV that needed to be either replaced or cleaned by a professional death scene cleanup company.  But whatever decision he was going to make, it was going to be costly. At first, Tim Hertenlehner, the owner of the repair shop, tried to get his insurance company to pay for the replacement of the RV.  After looking into the situation, the insurance company denied his claim and he had to inform Colson that the RV was probably going to be a total loss.  This was upsetting to Colson who trusted the repair shop with the safety of his property.  The RV which was valued at around $6,000 was in good shape at the time but needed some serious cleaning.  So, Colson asked Tim, the owner of the shop, if he would agree to pay for getting it professionally cleaned.  Shockingly, Tim refused to pay for the service and began ignoring Colson’s calls.

Now the RV sits at Colson’s uncle’s house and still, nothing has been done to resort the inside.  It’s not clear if any further legal action will be taken, but Colson is not happy with the way things turned out.  Maybe in the future, the shop owner will come to his senses and at least pay for part of the cleanup.