Folole Muliaga's death and Mercury Energy

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In this paper I briefly summarize the Folole Muliaga case by looking at her background and the circumstances that led to her eventual demise. I also assess the consequences and outcomes of this unfortunate event. I will also try and determine if the action by Mercury Energy was illegal. Further I examine the decisions made by police and the coroner and then finally outline the reforms that were adopted as a result of the death of Folole Muliaga, after her electric power supply was disconnected by Mercury Energy.
Folole Muliaga was a 44 year old woman, a mother of four children and the wife of Lopaavea Muliaga (“PAC: Husband breaks”, 2008).Mrs. Muliaga and her family were immigrants from Samoa to New Zealand (NZ) and like many Samoans she suffered from morbid obesity (“Both sides of “,2007).She was therefore not in good health and since 2000 when her family immigrated her health had worsened (Bridgman, 2010).According to this author in early April 2007 she was hospitalized because of breathing difficulties associated with her weight, which was close to 500 pounds. Her diagnosis was obesity hyperventilation syndrome, a condition that restricts efficient breathing and then consequently inhibits the removal of carbon dioxide from the body. On May 11 2007 Mrs. Muliaga was discharged from hospital after undergoing drug and ventilator treatment; by this time she had lost over 60 pounds of body weight. She was also given two machines to continue oxygen treatment at home (Bridgman, 2010).
Due to Mrs. Muliaga illness, she was unable to work as a teacher and therefore her family had to rely on her husband’s $470 weekly salary (Ruscoe & Dewes, 2007).During her hospital stay her electric bill had fallen behind in payments, but her husband h...

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...search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/432184821
PAC: Hundreds attend funeral of Folole Muliaga. (2007, Jun 06). AAP General News Wire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/448733565
PAC: Husband breaks down at a Muliaga inquest. (2008, May 19). AAP General News Wire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/448235637
PAC: Muliaga family lashes out at police investigation. (2007, Jun 04). AAP General News Wire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/448750523?accountid=28180
PAC: Police rule out charges in Muliaga death. (2007, Jun 12). AAP General News Wire. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/448732372
Ruscoe, K. & Dewes, H. (2007, May 31). Did power kill Folole Muliaga? The Press. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/31402666

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