WWII Vet freezes to death

93-year-old froze to death, owed big utility bill - Yahoo! News

I am outragged by this.

 

That's just sad.

 

So am I, I can't believe they let this poor man freeze to death, even a dog would have had a better treatment in our ungrateful society.

 

This is so wrong and so sad.

 

I'm afraid I'm just waiting for this to happen on this side of the pond too. So its not an American thing. I can see us being very luck over here this year if we get away without similar storylines.

I take issue with the neighbour though. Yes it is incumbent on families to look after their own...I've said as much in a thread on vets treatment in the British NHS, and its incumbent on neighbours to keep an eye open which doesnt happen so much these days.

But lets place the blame fairly and squarely where it iies...93 years old...No one of that age whether a vet or not, more so if a vet...I am biased I realise that...no one of 93 years of age should be getting any power cut off or limited in winter. Its that simple. We either agree as joe public that this is right or wrong...Help has to be provided of course, bills have to be paid...

But the power company are not interested that they have a 93 year old being limited or cut off? The engineer doesnt bother to check? Thats not pay up or lose it, thats plain manslaughter.

 

Because of the heat and long summers, Texas has a law wherein electric companies can't cut off power between June 1st and October 1st. The electric companies also have a general fund to help people like this vet. United Way and churches also help in Texas.

I don't know what policies Michigan has in place, but clearly this poor man fell through the cracks. I'm not the kind of person who is in favor of people suing each other, but this vet's family should sue someone.

 

Most places that have freezing weather like that are also not allowed to shut power off in freezing weather conditions like that. I'd sue them if I could, but the guy doesn't appear to have any family left either.

 

It dose, just not reported. Hundreds of pensioners in this country die during the winter months as they have this choice...Heat or eat.

A percentage will have there heating cut as utility company's don't give a toss. Money rules OK...Human life is nothing to them.

The up shot in this country the powers to be want pensioners to drop dead and stop claiming for free drugs, transport and free TV and all the rest they have the right to. As far as they are concerned if you can not pay for everything your a burden to sociality.

As to the story at hand...that's no way to treat a WW2 Vet.

 

This is absolutely disgusting. Where is the monies available when they could REALLY be put to good usage? oh lemme see-millions upon millions are sent to Africa yearly to stop the spread of Aids-which doesn't work since people are still very uneducated there and who simply wil continue to have unprotected sex.

Billions going yearly to the middle east-to countiries that don't deserve it.

And God knows where-else our money is being spent? >:-((

The VERY stupid Hundfotts who are ow in power over here, really need to get their heads out of their political asspesses-and really need to start taking care of our own for a change-such as people like that WWII Vet-who needlessly passed away.

 

In Pennsylvania we have a law like that. Suing would be nowhere near enough. whoever made the decision to cut the power should have criminal charges brought against them. Regardless of age, winter is no time to be doing things like this. What did they think was going to happen? He would sit in his house with an extra sweater cursing because he can't watch TV?
Increased energy costs + Fixed income = stories like this.

DESPICABLE!!!

 

How do we know he was a vet?

Regardless I sent this email via Contact Us to voice my disgust at this;

Dear Bay City,

With no small revulsion I've just read about the death of Marvin Schur following your utility companies decision to limit his electricity supply.

Shame on you!

You enjoy annual revenues of over $25 million dollars, yet have directly caused this humble man's death for the grand sum of £1,000.

Shame on you!

Robert Belleman readily admits he doesn't know if the device fitted was explained to Mr. Schur and happily claims he doesn't "...believe the city did anything wrong."

Shame on him!

Then just days later your commissioners decide to raise electricity costs by 3% with no sense of contrition.

Shame on Them!

I'm throughly disgusted at the reality of a local government owned utility putting profit before their citizenry, and rather than being seen to give a damn, continue on their heartless path where the very real suffering of a 93 year-old is a mere inconvenience in the drive towards even greater profit.

Hang your Heads in Shame!

There's no direct email link to the utility side of things but you can see they're not short of cash here;

About Us

Apparently they've had a lot of emails from across the world about this, so pile on the pressure lads and lasses, try to shame the heartless.

Direct email contact dmuscott@baycitymi.org

cheers,

 

Personally,if I were the Sheriff of the county, I would arrest the power company officials and charge them with at least 2nd degree MURDER! Anytime the temp falls blow freezing, the power/heat should have been restored immediately!

Where is the Advocate for the elderly btw???????????????

 

that's awful

 

aid money to Africa has a horrible track record.

 

Such a tragic story, to have survived War only to reach his age and die in such a sad and lonely manner. I get my power and gas through the provincial agencies. Neither they or the municipal agency which looks after water, can just shut off services in winter. The person will receive messages, and the government agencies can attempt recourse through legal means - but no one is ever left to die of hypothermia. In fact, they can't turn off my power even in summer. My account is flagged that they must notify me if there is going to be an outage in order that I can get to another location with air conditioning.

The utility company should be so ashamed and be liable for what they did. Seeing as he had no children and his wife predeceased him, there is no one to sue them. It is too bad that there is probably no way to alert other authorities and have them pursue manslaughter charges. Unfortunately, I believe that we will hear more tragic tales like this with the current economic crisis.

Great that you sent your thoughts to the utility company, wot no chad.

 

Great letter! I found an Obituary for him here.
sems he was a medic in the Army.

 

Ta for the salutes, hope some of you emailed your thoughts.

A medic eh? One of my grandfathers was a medic during WWII. What a bloody disgrace.

There's been a development;

Bay City leaders ordered the removal of all "limiter" devices on residential electric meters on Tuesday amid public outcry over the death of 93-year-old Marvin E. Schur.
Bay City Electric Light & Power workers moved through the city quickly removing the 60-70 devices from homes where they had been placed.
Schur froze to death in his home after the city restricted his electricity for unpaid utility bills at his 1600 S. Chilson St. home. His body was found Jan. 17. A story about Schur that ran in The Times on Monday prompted hundreds of phone calls to city hall demanding action.
It also prompted action from the state Attorney General and local legislators.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Schur's death "is very disturbing and very sad, and as an outsider, one would think it should have been avoidable."
Cox told The Times he may try to change state law to keep all utilities from shutting off electricity to elderly residents in the winter.
Municipal utilities such as Bay City Electric Light & Power don't have to follow Michigan Public Service Commission rules, which ban power shutoffs to elderly and disabled residents from Nov. 1 to April 1, he said. State-regulated commercial utilities such as Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison Co. must follow Michigan Public Service Commission rules.
Cox said his office "will gather some facts to see if we shouldn't suggest to the Legislature that all utilities - whether they're regulated utilities or municipal utilities - comply with the rules of the Michigan Public Service Commission regarding power shutoffs of the elderly during winter time."
The city is asking state Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City, to help evaluate the city's policies. Mayes, chair of the House Energy and Technology Committee, called Schur's death "entirely preventable."
Mayes and state Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, called Tuesday for a moratorium on all electric shut-offs as well as the use of limiting devices. They also called for the Michigan Public Service Commission to review city shut-off policies and offer recommendations.
Both lawmakers say they are drafting legislation to protect vulnerable citizens like senior citizens and people with disabilities. They hope by restricting power shutoffs between November and April, and possibly banning the use of limiter devices, they can ensure safety.
Schur lived alone. His wife had died several years ago and the couple had no children.
Rebecca Reimann, director of the Bay County Division on Aging, said her office has no record of having any contact with Schur.
Whether anyone faces criminal charges for Schur's death is up to Bay County Prosecutor Kurt Asbury, according to Cox.
Asbury said he awaits a final report from the Bay City Police Department regarding the death of Schur.
A crew from ABC's "Good Morning America" show roamed Schur's neighborhood on Bay City's southwest side Tuesday, quizzing neighbors and passers-by.
Bay City Commission President Christopher J. Shannon, 1st Ward, called the city's decision to rid neighborhoods of limiter devices a precautionary measure for now.
"We've gone ahead and ordered all limiters removed, so there's no possibility of another incident until we can review our policies and procedures," Shannon said.
He called Schur's death "a horrible tragedy."
"I think maybe the solution going forward is we're going to have to identify the elderly and the infirmed as best we can when issuing a shut-off notice," he said.


http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/01/bay_city_removes_electric_limi.html

 

Thanks for posting the update. It appears that this preventable and tragic death is bringing attention to a problem that has probably killed the elderly and the infirm before. Sixty years later his death is improving the lot of others where he used to live. You could almost say his life was given for others, just as he put it on the line during the War when as a medic he was in harms way while caring for others.

 

According to an update this brave soul continued to attempt to do good for his community even in death, leaving his estate to a hospital.

Such a terrible fate for one who did so much up to the very end. One of the saddest stories I've heard in a very long time.

WWII vet frozen to death leaves estate to hospital - CNN.com


A 93-year-old World War II medic who froze to death last month in his Bay City, Michigan, home left his entire estate to a local hospital, an estate attorney told CNN Wednesday...


PS: I have followed Wotnochads lead and have expressed my disgust to the officials of Bay City and would ask everyone to do so as well in hopes that unnecessary tragedies such as this will never be repeated.

 

Just plain shameful.