Woman on oxygen dies after power cut off

[Squatch]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A 44-year-old woman who needed an electric oxygen pump to breathe died after an energy company cut the power to her home because of an unpaid bill, her family claimed Wednesday.

Police said they had launched an investigation into Folole Muliaga’s death, which happened within two hours of state-owned company Mercury Energy cutting power to her house Tuesday.

<snip>

Sheehan said the family’s bills would prove Muliaga was trying to pay the account, and received no warning the power would be shut off. He declined to say how much she owed.

State Owned Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard said there were reports the family had been warned about the overdue account.

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[Odin2005]

1. Murderers.

[Horse with no Name]

2. Terrible.

Not sure how they do things in NZ, but if someone in the US is oxygen or ventilator dependent, they are supposed to contact the electric company and have documentation from the physician that there are life support systems in the home.
Not only in case of unpaid bills, but because of electric outages so that home would have priority.

[Donnachaidh]

3. MANY people would be surprized if they actually asked their power

companies what (if anything) they do in the case of elderly people or sick people having problems with paying their ever-increasing power bills.

Do yourself a favor -- call them and ask if they have ANY programs in place to help people who have fallen on hard times, or have an extreme health emergency problem, and need temporary help.

Companies used to have programs to help their clients. But now they have no problems just pulling the plug, and leaving people with nothing.

I was paying my electric bill last summer, and stood behind a retired gentleman who had come to ask for help. He owned his own home, but was living on his pension. And he was hit with an electric bill of $800 for one month. This guy wasn't wealthy, but he wasn't poor either. He was asking for some form of payment plan, so he could work out a way to pay the bill. All he got from the electric company was *pay up, or we'll cut your power*. And everyone else in the place was taken back by the callous answer from the woman behind the bulletproof glass.

It's frightening when you see what is happening in our country.

[Squatch]

5. You still pay your bill in person?

[Donnachaidh]

6. Yes I do.

Is there a problem with that?

[Squatch]

7. Relax. It's just a question.

You got a problem with that?

[slackmaster]

4. I thought New Zealand was a nice country

:scared:

[Bitwit1234]

8. On the back of Electric Bills

in Baltimore they tell you if you have a medical problem, notify them, and they will not cut power. Or something like that. I think all power companies should be like that.

[LeftyMom]

9. That's how it is here too

but we have a municipal non-profit electrical utility. People with a medical need get a lower rate, and they don't get their power shut off if they get behind. They also have a low income discount that's really easy to qualify for, and they have a deal with most of the local stores to sell CFL lights for a buck.

Makes me wish more of our local services were non-profit.

[Solon]

11. My Grandmother is a member of a non-profit electric co-op, and they offer...

basically the same deal.

[Spurt]

10. More to come on this.

She died two hours after the power was cut. Her family was in attendance and watched her die without calling an ambulance or taking other mitigating action. (Acute health care is publicly funded in NZ so cost it not an issue)

The actual cause of death is yet to be established - it may or may not be resultant of power loss.

I am curious as to why a critical (if it was) life support machine had no battery or other back up in place in case power failed for whatever reason.

I suggest we all withhold judgment until after the police have investigated and reported. We all should know better than to just accept an initial media report.

Cheers

[LeftyMom]

12. Agreed, but

with a person needing a life support device, there shouldn't have been a disconnection in any case. That was my concern.