An ACC employee who told a grieving widow she was "not God"
has been reprimanded.
Louise Johansen received the email only a week after the
death of her husband of 42 years, Kurt Johansen, a former
Fire Service employee who had been on ACC since suffering a
work injury in 1989.
The Herald on Sunday reported Mr Johansen suffered a
fatal heart attack on November 23 after a heated phone call
with his ACC case manager.
Mrs Johansen queried her husband's entitlements after his
death and received a reply from the case manager which said:
"I am not God, and therefore I do not determine when people
live or die. I am sorry for your loss." ACC spokesman Laurie
Edwards told the newspaper the case manager was reprimanded
but not fired for the comments.
"Our sympathies are with Louise, and this is a difficult time
she's going through. We apologise for the part we played in
making these difficulties worse," he said.
Another manager described the email as "utterly unacceptable"
and "deeply offensive".
ACC Minister Nick Smith has ordered a report into the case.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.