The death of New Hampshire woman, Key Phaneuf, who died after her oxygen machine lost power due to electricity shutoff in her Salem home in June, was pronounced an accident.
According to Rockingham County Attorney James Reams, Phaneuf’s death was tragic, but not a crime.
Phaneuf suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and needed an oxygen machine to live. She died after a National Grid employee shut off the power to her residence on June 21 because she owed the company more than $900 in past-due bills.
The employee said he knocked on the door three times to no answer. He then shut the electricity off.
National Grid reportedly not only complied with the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) standards for working with people who had a previous medical protection but even went beyond, ruling out the possibility of charges of negligent homicide.
The PUC regulations require the medical protection to be renewed every 60 days with a doctor’s note. The company had not shut off power even though Phaneuf had not made a payment since December 2009, and before then had been making only sporadic payments.
Phaneuf’s power was only shut off after her medical protection expired.
News Source: The Eagle Tribune.
