Posted on 07/09/2018 2:18:07 PM PDT by BBell
A 68-year-old New Jersey grandmother died last week after a company shut off her electricity because of an overdue bill -- which cut off the oxygen tank she relied on to keep breathing, a family member said.
Linda Daniels, who is in hospice care, was in her Newark home on Thursday for hours after her oxygen tank and air-conditioning were shut off around 10 a.m., NJ.com reported. Her family said they were with Daniels pleading with PSE&G to turn on the electricity until the 68-year-old died just before 4:30 p.m. from heart failure.
"She was trying to catch her breath — she was gasping for air," Daniels’ granddaughter, Mia, 28, told the news site Sunday. "She suffered and she passed right in front of us. She was gasping until the time she died."
Desiree Washington, Daniels’ daughter, added that the family made “numerous calls” to the utility company, but its response came too late.
"They told us they would be rolling a truck. The truck did not come until the next day,” Washington said.
Mia added: "They started getting nasty after awhile, telling us they had too many tickets out on this.”
--snip--
He added that PSE&G did not know about Daniels’ medical condition until after the power was shut off.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Oxygen tank powered by electricity? I’ve seen lots of them and none of them were electric powered.
They were using the electric pumps that supply oxygen. They probably meant the oxygen pump quit after power was cut..
conspiracy by the family to off grandma for a profit IMHO.
Families can also choose to be notified if a member falls in arrears.
MY f-i-l had one of those oxygen concentrators but also had a spare tank around just in case something happened to the machine.
Something is definitely weird about this.
They could have taken her to their house, notified the utility long ago that she was on oxygen, called 911, gone to a neighbors.
I agree with the suspicion that they are looking for a pay out.
She was in hospice care. I would surmise she died from whatever reason she was in hospice care. As someone else mentioned if the power company is informed of vital medical need they will not shut off the power. Also I believe having her transferred to a hospital was an option.
“I know for a fact that if the power company knows that you have a medical need for electricity (doctor’s notification required) that they will not cut the power off. If this poor lady had any kid of family they would have paid her bills. “
This was definitely true in Chicago. Ironically, it made old, sick people in poor areas valuable, respected members of the family, paying some freight with “free electricity”!
There are so many reasons this women should not have died. I think the family is plotting to profit off this lady’s death.
they probably killed her for a lawsuit. no 911 call?
http://www.njcommunityresources.info/utility-shutoff.html#billofrights
NJ doesn’t make it easy for mean ol’ utilities to cut off customers. Did the family even try to help her out?!
your description was so real i heard the generator my dad had to use the last years of his life
but not in the same room folksbe careful
To be cold about this, she was in hospice which means awaiting death. It came just sooner than later. My own Mother had one of these machines, and 2 reserve tanks full, plus a portable that worked on 12v DC from a car. I am fairly sure that Medicare pays for this. If not, why not?
sorry prayers up
Why didn’t the family summon emergency medical help? Even the Fire Department first-response carries oxygen for treating smoke inhalation.
Probably this oxygen concentration type device:
https://www.inogen.com/resources/oxygen-concentrators/how-does-an-oxygen-concentrator-work/
Hospice care and oxygen...in hindsight they could have told the utility of the special situation when they got the first shutoff notice, their service would not have been disconnected.
Move her somewhere else while a family member or friend waits for the utility? Sit in the car with the a/c on?
...add to the list...
A $20 extension cord ran to a neighbor’s home.
sounds like the family should be charged with elder abuse since they just left her sitting there to die rather then bringing her somewhere....
Good God, YES!
Good point.
PUT THE GENERATOR OUTSIDE!
Run an extension cord into the house.
Thank you.
“Her family said they were with Daniels pleading with PSE&G to turn on the electricity...”
Maybe her family should have taken her somewhere that did have electricity in the meantime while they were doing the pleading?
They forgot the comma after the 2nd word in the following declarative sentence: "Let's eat Grandma."
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