Elderly man freezes to death after power curbed
BAY CITY, MICHIGAN - A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home just days after the municipal power company restricted his use of electricity because of unpaid bills, officials said.
Neighbours discovered Marvin Schur's body on January 17. The windows were frosted over, icicles hung from a faucet, and the 93-year-old World War II veteran lay dead on the bedroom floor in a winter jacket over four layers of clothing.
Schur's death was slow and painful, said Dr. Kanu Virani, who performed the autopsy.
Schur owed Bay City Electric Light & Power more than $1,000 in unpaid electric bills, Bay City manager Robert Belleman said.
A city utility worker had installed a "limiter" device to restrict the use of electricity at Schur's home on January 13, Belleman said. The device limits power reaching a home and blows out like a fuse if consumption rises past a set level. Power is not restored until the device is reset.
The limiter was tripped sometime between the time of installation and the discovery of Schur's body, Belleman said. He didn't know if anyone had made personal contact with Schur to explain how the device works.
Related News
EV Fires Raise Health Concerns for Firefighters
MIAMI - As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, the risks posed by EV fires to firefighters are becoming an increasing concern. These fires, fueled by the high-capacity lithium-ion batteries in EVs, produce dangerous chemical exposures that could have serious long-term health implications for first responders.
Claudine Buzzo, a firefighter and cancer survivor, knows firsthand the dangers that come with the profession. She’s faced personal health battles, including rare pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, both of which she attributes to the hazards of firefighting. Now, as the shift towards electric vehicles increases, Buzzo and her colleagues are concerned about how…
