69-Year-Old Vietnam Vet with Throat Cancer Freezes to Death After Company Shuts off His Gas

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/69-year-old-vietnam-vet-throat-cancer-freezes-death-after-company-shuts-his-gas



The state of Michigan has ordered Consumers Energy to issue a report after a 69-year-old Vietnam veteran died of hypothermia when his gas was shutoff during one of the coldest months of the year.

The Detroit Free Press reported that Consumers Energy shut off the gas at the home where John Skelley was living on Jan. 19. He was found frozen to death on Feb. 1.

Although the Michigan Public Service Commission prohibits companies from shutting off heat from Nov. 1 to March 31 if there is a person older than 65 living in the home, Consumers Energy insisted that it could not have known that Skelley lived in the apartment because the bill was in someone else’s name.

Consumers Energy spokesperson Deborah Dodd told the Free Press that the service had been in the name of Joseph Mixen, who had not kept up with a payment plan to resolve an outstanding $760.28 balance that dated back to March 2012.

[COLGATE4]

1. This headline is fundamentally misleading.

The company did not shut off "his" gas. The property where the gas was being supplied was in the same of another person (not over 65) named Joseph Mixen. The Vet's name was not on the lease. Consumers had no way of knowing he was living there at all. When Mixen didn't take care of an outstanding gas bill of some $760 due at least in part since March 2012 the gas service was finally cut off.

In short, Consumers had no interaction with the Veteran at all. None, at any time.

[Daemonaquila]

2. Really? A stock republican, corporate excuse?

That's not how the cold weather rules are set up. The inquiry is not about the person paying the bill, who is often the owner of a duplex or apartment complex, or a family member who lives elsewhere, or one of many people who live in a unit. Please. Let's not pretend that this was handled appropriately.

[COLGATE4]

8. Please tell me about your expertise on how cold

weather rules are set up. FYI, these are set by the Public Service Commission (or its equivalent) in a given state. Each state handles it somewhat differently. In Michigan the rule is that gas cannot be turned off for nonpayment when the accountholder is over 65. In this instance the (absent) account holder was under 65 and seriously in arrears. The veteran who was living there was doing so unknown to the gas company. Tell me - specifically - how this was not handled appropriately.

[Fumesucker]

3. Dude, that's cold..

Chill..

[COLGATE4]

7. No, what's cold is false outrage at a company because it

feels 'good'. If the outrage is justified, so be it. But on the facts as presented here the company was absolutely without fault here. Why beat up on them?

[KingCharlemagne]

4. "Fundamentally misleading"? The apartment was occupied by a person. Consumers shut

off gas service to an occupied apartment. The occupant of the apartment froze to death as a result of the shut-off.

What headline would you suggest instead?

[Lurker Deluxe]

5. depends

If he was renting a room from the person who had the bills in their name the headline would be:

"Delinquent landlord let gas service terminate leading to the death of an elderly tenant"

There are certainly others, but the gas company had no way of knowing who, if anyone, was in the home. If you get notices sent to your residence an do not respond in any way ... your service will be terminated.

This is on the person who the service was being billed to.

[COLGATE4]

6. The gas company had no knowledge of the person who died being

in the apartment. And, so far as the apartment was 'occupied' by the absent tenant who was in arrears in his gas bill since 2012, the company had every right to, as a final remedy, turn the gas off. There is no wrongdoing on the part of the company here at all.

[KingCharlemagne]

9. I notice the OP has not returned to comment on his or her thread. And it certainly sounds like a

tragic accident. As a matter of public policy, it seems to me the gas company should be forbidden to disconnect service during winter months, irrespective of the age of the occupant on the bill. Had such been the case here, the person who died would probably still be alive.

[COLGATE4]

10. That's a legitimate observation. It seems that some states

do have a rule in that sense. Michigan's is different, covering only persons over age 65. My point was that, given the facts of this particular case, the company was not at fault for proceeding as they did.

[RadiationTherapy]

11. The piggish disconnect between economy and community widens.