Man (93) freezes to death indoors, city limits flow of electricity due bills, indoor temp < 32

[Liberal_in_LA]

indoor temp was less than 32!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-26-michigan-freeze-death_N.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

Michigan man, 93, froze to death indoors

BAY CITY, Michigan (AP) — A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home, an autopsy has determined, just days after the city limited his flow of electricity for not paying his bills.

Marvin E. Schur died "a slow, painful death," said Kanu Virani, Oakland County's deputy chief medical examiner, who performed Schur's autopsy.

Neighbors discovered Schur's body on Jan. 17. The indoor temperature was below 32 degrees at the time, the neighbors told The Bay City Times for a story Monday.

Schur had no children, and his wife passed away several years ago.

The man had almost $1,100 in unpaid electric bills, said neighbor George Pauwels Jr., who discovered Schur's body.

[bdamomma]

1. so horrible to treat people like this.

[bobbolink]

6. Yes, it's a "horrible way to treat people". So, what are we going to do about it?

Where's the outrage?

Could this man's death have some meaning by mobilizing people to STOP this hateful practice???

[bdamomma]

16. Michigan reps should hear about this.

[Two Americas]

31. this just scratches the surface

See here for what is happening in Michigan -

http://socialistindependent.org/board/index.php?topic=10.0

[XemaSab]

2. So sad.

Here in Redding if you don't pay your bill they take your house. Seriously.

[cali]

3. outrageous. I hope to dog he didn't die in vain

and that the city will discontinue its abhorent practice of limiting electricity to the poor and elderly in dire straits.

[JHB]

4. Below 32 is not 32 below.

Though in LA you don't get much practice with that part of the temperature scale, I guess.

Even an ordinary freezer won't be 32 below.

[originalpckelly]

8. It's not anything more than an accident of grammar.

:P

The English language can be confusing at times!

[gollygee]

9. I was going to say! -32! Where was he?

Then I see he's in Michigan, and I thought, no, it hasn't been -32 in Michigan (unless you count wind chill but that wouldn't count inside).

Still it has been very very cold. When I walked my daughter to the bus stop this morning it was -2. If your house wasn't heated, you'd be in danger at that temperature.

[Tempest]

21. He said it was less than 32 degrees

Which is what the story said as well.

[JHB]

28. You'll note that my post came before the OP was edited (compare time stamps)...

That's what was corrected.

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. Yes, I corrected it AFTER everyone informed me of my mistake.

:-)

[ljm2002]

23. Well, "below 32" is below freezing...

...and certainly not livable as an interior temperature.

What a tragic story, that an old man should freeze to death inside his own home because some heartless bureaucrat thinks it's okay to cut him off in the middle of winter for not paying his electricity bill.

What have we come to, really. We have thrown out the human element altogether in our rush for the almighty dollar -- which of course is not so almighty these days anyway.

Maybe the fall of our financial systems will give us the shock we need to come to our senses and remember who we really are.

Shocking, sad story. Like cali, I hope his death is not in vain and that it may spur people to action.

[originalpckelly]

5. $1,100 killed a man, granted an old man, but he would still be alive.

WTF?

[elocs]

7. That cannot happen here in WI by law in the winter months.

I must add though for those of us up north the number -32 has a much different meaning than simply below freezing.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. I see my mistake

[smoogatz]

13. True dat.

We had -28 here in EC last week. Fun! Not.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

11. GOTTA GET THAT MONEY

[my2sense]

12. There goes the "culture of life" bs n/t

[KansDem]

14. This is torture. This man was tortured to pay his bills...

The power company decided to torture him into paying his bills. Just like at GitMo, it didn't work.

Check out this sentence:
The utility installed a "limiter" device outside Schur's home on Jan. 13

What's the name of "the utility?" Who authorized the installation? Why withhold this information from the article?

[AndyA]

15. There is no excuse for this.

How in the hell do you limit the flow of electricity? Isn't it either on or off? What's the point, so they won't use much while in arrears?

Mr. Schur is in a better, happier place now. Shame on the cruel beings masquerading as people who would allow such a policy to be put into place!

[marshall]

18. Maybe they give you enough to run a couple of light bulbs

So that bill collectors and respossession folks can see to poke around the place once they drag you out.

[kickysnana]

17. It is amazing how fast the elderly can lost their ability to cope..

Our county gets notified when the electricity is shut off but I don't know how long they take to respond to it. The Salvation Army provides help. Does Michigan have a cold weather rule? LEAP funds are gone I hear.

Please check on your elderly neighbors from time to time.

[Radical Activist]

19. Does anyone know what the utility was?

Private or public?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

25. Public

owned by the citizens of Bay City. Read my post downthread for full information.

[WI_DEM]

20. Utility companies should not be allowed to turn off or down electricity during the winter. Some

states don't allow it, but apparently others don't.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

22. In Bay City's defense

I was all ready to suggest we all email Bay City, and went online to find out more about it. Seems the city runs the utilities, including electricity--and has a link to agencies providing emergency services, including utility aid.

http://www.baycitymi.org/Utilities/Agency%20Form.pdf

But I have to wonder if the Bay City Electric Light & Power bothered to let this old fellow know about it. I know my 90 year old mother has no clue how to get online. Anyway, here's the webpage with information on how to get in contact with them:

http://www.baycitymi.org/Utilities/Electric/electric.htm

From a related page:

Bay City Electric, Light & Power (BCELP) is a municipal utility, owned by the City of Bay City, Michigan. We strive to offer value to our customers by providing reliable service at a competitive price.

BCELP has served the Bay City area since 1868 when it was known as the Bay City Gas Light Company. Today we serve over 20,000 customers in our service area which includes Bay City and the surrounding townships of Bangor, Frankenlust, Hampton, Monitor, and Portsmouth. The utility is one of 2,000 community owned electric utilities that serves more than 42 million Americans.

Delivering service to our customers requires more than 500 miles of overhead and underground distribution lines, fed from 10 distribution substations. Power is provided to these facilities from wholesale purchases, ownership of coal-fired generators Belle River and Campbell through the Michigan Public Power Agency, and local peak-shaving generating capacity at our Water Street and Henry Street plants.

At year-end, Bay City Electric, Light & Power owned and operated utility assets of $64 million with total annual revenues of approximately $25.6 million. BCELP currently has 44 employees to carryout the day to day operations of the utility including line construction and maintenance, line clearance, street light maintenance, generating plant operation and maintenance, metering installation and maintenance, service building upkeep, purchasing materials and supplies, and system planning functions.
http://www.baycitymi.org/Utilities/Electric/about%20us.htm

[TwilightGardener]

24. Ridiculous. Poor man makes it to 93, and then the city decides to do him in

in the dead of winter. Maybe they can still take their $1100 out of what little estate he had left. :eyes:

[ikojo]

26. There are certain things for which there should be no

profit motive, water, heat and electricity are among those things. They should be part of the commons that Thom Hartmann talks about.

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. agreed

[Urban Prairie]

27. There is a law

against shutting off utilities in the winter season in MI but BCP&L and other utility companies, obviously have found a loophole to make it so that people can live right on the fine edge of survival, having perhaps JUST enough energy being provided each day to keep the home temp inside around maybe 65 degrees and nothing else, such as for light, bathing, washing, and cooking.

[zazen]

30. how telling, the $1100 that would have saved his life is less than Thain's $1400 wastebasket

[elias7]

32. Maybe he should not have been living independently

It seems he hasn't paid his electric bill for over a year ($1,100 is about my yearly bill), didn't know how to reset the limiter device, and didn't have the resources to call for help as he was getting worse.

I doubt the electric company knew this was a 93 year old man who couldn't care for himself. And they didn't cut off his electricity, just limited it.

These facts do not diminish the tragedy, but you cannot place all the blame in the hands of the energy company.

[Kaylee]

33. Very sad. He had no children and his wife had passed.

It is unfortunate that no one (a neighbor, family member) checked on him regularly. Although, limited electricity should not mean that the indoor temperature can get below freezing. That is a heck of a limit!

Edit to say: Oh, he had to reset the limiter...pretty cruel that no one talked to him about it when they installed it.

[elias7]

34. Not denying the tragedy...

don't know if no one talked to him about the limiter, therefore, can't say it is cruel.

Few 93 year olds can really function at an adult level, even those without a hint of dementia. They are unfortunately the last ones to face that fact, often fearing nursing home placement. There is a phobia of doctors and social services as well, again owing to a fear of loss of independence.

Without social support-- family, friends/neighbors, social services-- it is clear this person could not survive. Maybe he wanted it that way, maybe not. Sad, but not an isolated event. Just not often reported in the paper. This time it became news because of the electric company angle.

I live in New Hampshire, and during the 10 day power outtage from the storm in December, some of the small towns in our county had officers making courtesy calls on the elderly, bringing many in to the hospital and to shelters. But if it weren't for the storm, no one would be checking on them.

[spin]

35. Many older seniors do not understand modern technology...

My daughter told me of a sad story about my ex-father in law in his late 80's

She journeyed with her mother to attend the funeral of her grandmother and was staying at her grandfathers house.

He had a dispute with the local trash company and was attempting to resolve it over the telephone. Being frustrated with the "press 1 if you speak English..." automated answering system the company used, he left an angry message. He had no idea that the company would never hear his message.

She called the company and talked to a live human after the typical hassle this usually involves. The problem was merely a clerical error involving the address.

Perhaps the 90 year old an attempted to talk to the power company, but never could reach a representative.

[hologram]

36. This would be commonplace in Republicana.

Republicans have fought against Social Security and Medicare for decades. They would prefer the alternative which is to watch millions of senior citizens dying in the streets and in their homes of hypothermia or hunger or a fall on the ice (without any pain meds) or a simple infection that left untreated may be fatal. Anything is okay as long as they don't have to pay taxes.

[jtrockville]

38. For want of the price, of tea and a slice, the old man dies.

Us and them.