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New Zealand Woman Dies After Power Is Cut
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 a $122 unpaid bill, her family claimed Wednesday.
Police said they had launched an investigation into Folole Muliaga's death, which happened within two hours after state-owned company Mercury Energy cut power to her house Tuesday.
Mercury Energy's general manager, James Moulder, said the company was devastated by the woman's death and was conducting its own investigation to determine what happened.
Muliaga, a schoolteacher with four children between the ages of 5 and 20, had been off work since February with an illness and had fallen behind in her payments to Mercury, said Brenden Sheehan, a relative who provided a copy of the bill.
Six days before a Mercury Energy representative arrived Tuesday at the house to disconnect the electricity, she was $122 in arrears.
Brenden Sheehan, the woman's nephew in-law, said both Muliaga and her son told the technician she was dependent on the oxygen machine to stay alive and invited him into the house to see it.
Muliaga's son, Letitaia, said the technician told them he was "doing his job, he's here to cut the power off."
Sheehan described Mercury Energy's actions as "reprehensible."
"It's absolutely disgusting what they've done," he said.
Muliaga began having difficulty breathing, became faint and then collapsed, he said. Paramedics were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead within two hours of the power being cut.
Moulder expressed his "deep condolences" to the family, and said the company was checking reports that it had been warned Muliaga needed power for the oxygen machine.
"We were simply unaware that loss of electricity to the household was putting a vulnerable customer at risk," he said.
"More than one" disconnection notice had been sent to Muliaga's address over a six- to seven-week period, he added.
State Owned Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard said there were reports the family had been warned about the overdue account.
A New Zealand power company accused of causing an ill customer's death by disconnecting her electricity insists it made no mistakes.
Police are investigating the death of Folole Muliaga, 44, who could not immediately pay $NZ168 ($150) owing on her electricity bill and died within hours of power to her home being cut, stopping her oxygen machine.
Muliaga's family says a contractor knew the mother-of-four was desperately ill and needed electricity to survive.
Politicians in New Zealand have called for changes to the way power companies operate to avoid a similar death occurring in the future.
But Mercury Energy today defended its handling of the case.
Mercury's general manager James Moulder denied a mistake had been made.
"I am confident that the processes we have put, the communications we have put to the customer, were very clear about the circumstances that would occur," Moulder said.
Muliaga is believed to have been suffering from cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease of the heart muscle that makes the organ less able to pump blood around the body.
The chief of Mercury's parent company Mighty River Power, Doug Heffernan, responded to claims from Muliaga's family that the contractor employed to disconnect Muliaga's power was told of her illness, but cut the supply anyway.
"We have got no reason to believe anyone is not telling the truth ... That is not our position to make that judgement. That is why the police are involved," Heffernan said.
He admitted the contractor had seen a tube on the sick woman's nose, but said the worker was unable to determine whether Muliaga was dependent on the machine.
"However can one expect someone who is basically from an electrician-type background to be able to make medical decisions?" he said.
The contractor, who worked for VirCom EMS, was on leave following the incident, he said.
"These events are having an impact on the worker that was involved, in the same way there is an impact obviously on the family," he said.
Heffernan said medical authorities had been contacted to see if more could be done to alert his company when a patient required electricity to live.
"We were not aware of Mrs Muliaga's condition," he said.
Meanwhile, family spokesman Brenden Sheehan said the Muliaga family was still shocked and angry.
He said he was "absolutely certain" Mercury Energy knew taking away the electricity supply was dangerous.
"[Her] eldest son was with her. He gave statements to police and again this morning and he is adamant they knew. He said they came into the house, the mother had the oxygen on," Sheehan said.
The family spokesman backed calls from the New Zealand Green Party for laws that would make it impossible for electricity to be cut because of non-payment.
Sheehan also endorsed calls from the main opposition party, National, for new protocols to ensure power companies checked whether a customer relied on electricity to survive.
A small protest was held outside a Mercury Energy building in Auckland today.
Police said they had launched an investigation into Folole Muliaga's death, which happened within two hours after state-owned company Mercury Energy cut power to her house Tuesday.
Mercury Energy's general manager, James Moulder, said the company was devastated by the woman's death and was conducting its own investigation to determine what happened.
Muliaga, a schoolteacher with four children between the ages of 5 and 20, had been off work since February with an illness and had fallen behind in her payments to Mercury, said Brenden Sheehan, a relative who provided a copy of the bill.
Six days before a Mercury Energy representative arrived Tuesday at the house to disconnect the electricity, she was $122 in arrears.
Brenden Sheehan, the woman's nephew in-law, said both Muliaga and her son told the technician she was dependent on the oxygen machine to stay alive and invited him into the house to see it.
Muliaga's son, Letitaia, said the technician told them he was "doing his job, he's here to cut the power off."
Sheehan described Mercury Energy's actions as "reprehensible."
"It's absolutely disgusting what they've done," he said.
Muliaga began having difficulty breathing, became faint and then collapsed, he said. Paramedics were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead within two hours of the power being cut.
Moulder expressed his "deep condolences" to the family, and said the company was checking reports that it had been warned Muliaga needed power for the oxygen machine.
"We were simply unaware that loss of electricity to the household was putting a vulnerable customer at risk," he said.
"More than one" disconnection notice had been sent to Muliaga's address over a six- to seven-week period, he added.
State Owned Enterprises Minister Trevor Mallard said there were reports the family had been warned about the overdue account.
A New Zealand power company accused of causing an ill customer's death by disconnecting her electricity insists it made no mistakes.
Police are investigating the death of Folole Muliaga, 44, who could not immediately pay $NZ168 ($150) owing on her electricity bill and died within hours of power to her home being cut, stopping her oxygen machine.
Muliaga's family says a contractor knew the mother-of-four was desperately ill and needed electricity to survive.
Politicians in New Zealand have called for changes to the way power companies operate to avoid a similar death occurring in the future.
But Mercury Energy today defended its handling of the case.
Mercury's general manager James Moulder denied a mistake had been made.
"I am confident that the processes we have put, the communications we have put to the customer, were very clear about the circumstances that would occur," Moulder said.
Muliaga is believed to have been suffering from cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease of the heart muscle that makes the organ less able to pump blood around the body.
The chief of Mercury's parent company Mighty River Power, Doug Heffernan, responded to claims from Muliaga's family that the contractor employed to disconnect Muliaga's power was told of her illness, but cut the supply anyway.
"We have got no reason to believe anyone is not telling the truth ... That is not our position to make that judgement. That is why the police are involved," Heffernan said.
He admitted the contractor had seen a tube on the sick woman's nose, but said the worker was unable to determine whether Muliaga was dependent on the machine.
"However can one expect someone who is basically from an electrician-type background to be able to make medical decisions?" he said.
The contractor, who worked for VirCom EMS, was on leave following the incident, he said.
"These events are having an impact on the worker that was involved, in the same way there is an impact obviously on the family," he said.
Heffernan said medical authorities had been contacted to see if more could be done to alert his company when a patient required electricity to live.
"We were not aware of Mrs Muliaga's condition," he said.
Meanwhile, family spokesman Brenden Sheehan said the Muliaga family was still shocked and angry.
He said he was "absolutely certain" Mercury Energy knew taking away the electricity supply was dangerous.
"[Her] eldest son was with her. He gave statements to police and again this morning and he is adamant they knew. He said they came into the house, the mother had the oxygen on," Sheehan said.
The family spokesman backed calls from the New Zealand Green Party for laws that would make it impossible for electricity to be cut because of non-payment.
Sheehan also endorsed calls from the main opposition party, National, for new protocols to ensure power companies checked whether a customer relied on electricity to survive.
A small protest was held outside a Mercury Energy building in Auckland today.
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