Update (July 10, 2019): Governor Phil Murphy signed Linda’s Law into effect on July 5, a year to the date of Linda Daniels' death, reports NJ.com.
The 68-year-old grandmother, who suffered from congestive heart failure, relied on an electric oxygen tank to breathe. Her supply was cut when Public Service Electric and Gas Company shut off her power due to nonpayment. The company ignored her family’s pleas as well as the $500 payment they received the day before her death and cut the electricity. Daniels suffered for seven hours before she died. The power was restored a day later. An internal investigation by PSE&G blamed the incident on “both human errors and systemic failures.”
Linda’s Law will require utility companies to find out if customers use lifesaving equipment before shutting off their power. If the person uses the equipment, companies must wait 90 days before they interrupt service. The companies are also required to check on their clients’ health status on a semi-annual basis.
“No one should fear losing their life because their electricity bill is a few days overdue,” Murphy said in a statement. “Linda’s Law will protect residents who rely upon electricity to support their medical equipment.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka hopes the law will bring comfort to Daniels' family, according to Insider NJ.
“One year ago, Linda Daniels lost her life when her electricity was shut off and the oxygen mask that she desperately needed lost power,” Baraka said. “For seven hours, in the middle of a heat wave, she gasped for breath. A year later, a family is still mourning the loss of a 68-year-old mother and grandmother, who had much more life to give her family and community. We must continue to keep them in prayer and have trust that Linda’s death will not be in vain. Out of this tragic loss, ‘Linda’s Law’ will protect and support those that need it the most regardless of their ability to afford it.”
Original story: Systematic poverty can be life-threatening. That tragic fact became readily apparent to the family of a 68-year-old woman who died hours after her electricity was cut off due to unpaid bills, NJ.com reports.
68-year-old Linda Daniels died from heart failure last week after her electricity provider, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G), turned off the power due to her unpaid bill balance. Daniels relied on her oxygen tank, powered by electricity, to breathe, which is why the shutoff became fatal.
“She was trying to catch her breath,” said Daniels' granddaughter, Mia. “She suffered and she passed right in front of us. She was gasping until the time she died.”
"She had just paid $500 two days before,” said Desiree Washington, Daniels’ daughter. “We asked them, ‘Why are you turning off her electric at the pole?'”
“As part of our policy, PSE&G had notified this customer numerous times that their account was in arrears and that they would be scheduled for a service termination unless the account was made current,” PSE&G spokesman Jim Namitoka said in a statement.
According to WABC, Daniels' electricity bills showed a balance of $1,800 on May 29. Her recent statements show she made a $300 payment in April, $450 for another month and $500 on July 3, two days before she passed away.
"We are reviewing our records to determine what transpired. We encourage customers who have medical issues to contact us so that we can note their circumstances on their accounts," Namiotka continued.
Washington said family members and hospice workers had informed the company of Daniels' medical issues in writing and made numerous attempts to call the company all day begging them to restore power. The family used the tank's small backup reserve unit, but it eventually went out.
One day after Daniels' death, power was restored. Following Daniels' funeral on Wednesday, Washington said she plans to pursue legal action.
“We are horrified. We are angry,” said Washington. “My mother was a taxpayer for 46 years. It’s so sad she had to go like that. And I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
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