Why a Delaware County family believes PSO is responsible for the death of their loved one

The death of a Delaware County man is under investigation after his home's electricity was turned off last month. <br/><br/>His family says PSO shut off his power and that he later died of hypothermia.

Tuesday, February 8th 2005, 10:38 am

By: News On 6

The death of a Delaware County man is under investigation after his home's electricity was turned off last month.

His family says PSO shut off his power and that he later died of hypothermia. Now, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Delaware County Sheriff's office and a local lawyer are investigating.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson says Lloyd Coverdell would have turned 90-years old this month.

He lived by himself in a house near Eucha in rural Delaware County. Coverdell's son lives in California and says his father was a very independent man. His son says after his father's death he found out PSO had shut off the electricity late last month. The next three days were cold in Delaware County, with highs near 40 and lows each night near freezing.

Three days later after his power was shut off, the sheriff's department says a relative found Coverdell dead in his home. Now, Coverdell's son has hired an attorney. Attorney Steven Chlouber: "He wants to find out answers. He wants to find out how this happened, why this happened, and I think at this point, what he's most concerned about is he wants to make sure this doesn't ever happen again."

PSO tells the News on 6 it's their policy not to comment on individual cases, but that there are several things they consider before disconnecting someone's power. That includes the outside temperature, how many notices have been sent out, and whether there's a third-party to notify, all things they're investigating in this case.

PSO says it is hard to know just what circumstances each of their customers are facing.