Tragically, a 93-year-old Korean War veteran from Pennsylvania perished when his oxygen equipment malfunctioned during an electricity outage. His family members mourn their loss and grieve for him deeply.
After more than 60 years of living in Pittsburgh, Tom Raith sadly passed away due to the 22-hour power outage that occurred following a heavy storm on Sunday. This was revealed by his family when speaking with the local TV station WTAE.
According to WTAE, the veteran’s primary oxygen system and portable unit malfunctioned simultaneously; furthermore, his landline phone and cell service were disconnected.
A representative from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said that its “independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement is in the process of gathering information about this incident.”
Janet Zreliak, Raith’s daughter, expressed her worry to WTAE on Monday when the phone went unanswered.
Every day, Zreliak was in constant communication with her father and had recently visited him on the Sunday prior to their last conversation. She remained at his side until five o’clock that afternoon.
She then reached out to one of her dad’s neighbors, who said the power had been off on their street for a whopping 21 hours.
Zreliak stated: “When he told me for how long it [the power] was out, I thought, ‘Oh my God,’ so I came flying down here.”
According to WTAE, Zreliak was met with tragedy when she discovered her father deceased at his residence.
“I walk in the living room. My dad’s just slumped over, like on his pillow. And his oxygen was hanging out of his nose. And I just screamed. I grabbed him and it was so cold,” she stated.
Raith’s electricity provider was Duquesne Light, and Zreliak told WTAE that she demanded an explanation from the company “as to why something like this has to happen.”
She continued: “This was uncalled for. Why would power be off for that many hours?Because my dad, there was nothing wrong with him that he would not—there was no reason for him to die.”
Duquesne Light said: “We were not aware of Mr. Raith’s condition.”
As the storm intensified on Sunday evening, outages were reported in a nearby hospital, nursing home and assisted living facility, high-rise building, television station as well as another utility according to the company.
“Mr. Raith’s home had power restored in less than 24 hours as crews repaired a damaged circuit caused by a fallen tree in the area that had impacted 500 customers,” Duquesne Light stated.
On Sunday, the company posted on its social media accounts reminders to their customers that if they are experiencing a power outage in their area, they should contact them by phone or via the app/website.
“We encourage customers to share this information with us and their local fire department so we can assist accordingly during their time of need.
“We thank Mr. Raith for his service and extend our deepest sympathy to his family as they grieve the loss of their father,” the company told Newsweek.
A spokesperson for Duquesne Light said: “While we have not been contacted by the Raith family, our hearts go out to them during this difficult time. Sunday’s storm was the most severe storm we’ve experienced this year.
“It left widespread damage across our service territory, and the additional storm on Monday evening impacted our restoration efforts.”
On Monday, CBS Pennsylvania reported that a severe storm on Sunday had caused tens of thousands in the western part of the state to suffer from power outages due to heavy rainfall, intense winds, and damaging hail.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, nearly 10,000 of Duquesne Light’s 600,000 Allegheny and Beaver county customers were left without power, reported CBS Pennsylvania.
On Monday morning, 7:30 a.m., CBS Pennsylvania reported that 1,500 customers of Penn Power were still in the dark due to outages – and this utility company supplies over 160 thousand people with energy across western Pennsylvania!
