Life-support woman dies after power cut
Police said they launched an investigation into the death of Folole Muliaga, 44, in the northern city of Auckland, which happened within two hours of state-owned company Mercury Energy cutting power to her house.
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.
He refused to say how much money Ms Muliaga had owed the company.
Ms Muliaga, a teacher with four children aged five to 20, had been off work since February with an illness when a Mercury Energy representative arrived on Tuesday to disconnect the electricity, said Sheehan, a nephew-in-law of Ms Muliaga’s.
Sheehan said both Ms 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, so he knew the situation. “Then he cut the power off,” he said.
Almost immediately, Ms Muliaga had 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 cut.
Inspector Bruce Bird said police would investigate.
Mr Moulder said the firm restored electricity to the house after learning of the woman’s death, and the grieving family had spent a night without power.
Mr 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.
Sheehan said the family’s bills would prove Ms Muliaga was trying to pay the account, and received no warning the power would be shut off. He declined to say how much she owed.
Auckland University professor of law Bill Hodge said manslaughter charges could potentially be filed, depending on what information Mercury Energy had and how it was expressed.
