A record error in the U.S. state of Maryland mistakenly declared a living woman dead, causing her significant distress.
Nicole Paolino, a resident of Gaithersburg, Maryland, applied for a driver’s license renewal and was shocked to learn that she had been listed as deceased. She was “terrified and surprised” when shown a document stating that she was officially listed as dead in the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) system.
“I felt like I was dead after finding this out, I was scared and confused. I’m not lying, I’m here, and alive, but I was also declared dead,” she said.
The MVA informed Paolino that she could not renew her license, and shortly after, she received a letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) listing her as a “deceased taxpayer.”
The mistake led to several issues for Paolino. Her three children’s health insurance was canceled, resulting in a series of medical bills, and she was unable to obtain the inhaler she needed for her asthma.
Paolino mentioned that her daily life was severely disrupted by this error. According to the MVA, it was a misunderstanding caused by a clerical error when the Social Security number of a deceased individual was incorrectly recorded as hers.
The Social Security Administration confirmed to local media that Paolino’s record has now been corrected.
