Kay Phaneuf
Posted on 12/09/2010 2:39:14 PM PST by JoeProBono
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- New Hampshire regulators said Thursday an electric utility acted appropriately when it shut off power to a woman who didn't pay her power bill and died after an oxygen machine she needed stopped working.
The state Public Utilities Commission reviewed National Grid's disconnection of service to Kay Phaneuf, 53, of Salem.
She died on June 24, three days after her husband found her unconscious, about an hour after power was cut. Police said the bill wasn't paid. Her account had a medical protection notice intended to prevent such a shutoff in the past, but it had lapsed.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Kay Phaneuf
So the Public Utilities Commission says. Let’s see what a jury would say.
Sad, why can’t these types of situation be handled by neighbors?
Our church pays these types of bills, had I known I would have paid the stupid bill. Just nuts.
Doesn’t the power company have a list of charities the person can contact for help?
While tragic, the proper documentation was not provided despite the utilities request. What I don’t understand was why a battery backup was not in place to protect her if their was a power failure due to storms. At least calls could be be made to the Utility or to someone for alternate power until the info was received.
I am curious about her becoming unconscious about an hour after power was shut off.
What would have happened to her had there been a long power outage in the middle of the night?
Or for that matter, anytime during the day when her husband was gone?
With only an hour to get another oxygen source, what was the backup plan?
Why didn't she call for help?
Surely they left some key information out of the story.
In Wisconsin WEPCO has a check off box on your power bill if you care to contribute something toward the "charity" cases. The state also imposes a moratorium on gas/electric disconnects during the winter months.
Regards,
GtG
I'm sure that is intended to avoid abuse, but getting a letter from a doctor's office every couple of months seems a bit much to me. Looks like once or twice a year should do. Every 60 days is just extra work for everybody.
It's a sad case.
Or for that matter, anytime during the day when her husband was gone?
Electric utilities keep lists of people with medical problems that are dependent on continuous power. They warn them of planned outages and give them priority during repairs of unplanned outages. She apparently failed to update her medical status and her listing expired.
As to backup plans, the power utilities do not provide back up generators. They suggest that you use equipment capable of running on battery power during emergencies. I would guess that she was dependent on an oxygen concentrator which runs on AC and not bottled O2 which doesn't require external power.
I have UPS back up power on critical circuits to carry the load while a 17 KW alternator (natural gas fueled) cranks up to supply most everything except air conditioning, cloths dryer, and electric stove. Everything else is back up w/in one minute.
Regards,
GtG
Your backup plan is exactly the type I would expect someone who needed it to have.
My point was that the "reporter" failed completely in providing any analysis/detail of whether this poor lady had ANY backup plan at all, or whether it too failed.
Sad bit of reporting, to be sure. Maybe the reporter had an agenda to identify the evil Utility Company?
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