The family of a boy who reportedly froze to death when their mobile home lost power during the winter storm in Texas has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the area’s utility providers.
“Cristian Pavon Pineda, 11, was found lifeless in a bed next to his toddler brother Monday, as temperatures inside plunged into the single digits and the family struggled to keep warm,” the New York Post reported.
Power grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and electric provider Entergy failed to warn residents of the conditions and offered incomplete guidance to customers during the storm, the family alleged.
The boy, a Montgomery County resident, reportedly had no underlying conditions but his relatives believe the freezing temperatures were a contributing factor in his death, according to ABC 13.
However, an official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Attorney Tony Buzbee is filing suit on the family’s behalf, the ABC article read.
“And other suits will come,” Buzbee explained. “These decisions, which led to deaths, were made based on profit, not welfare of people. People died. ERCOT and the electrical providers like Entergy must account.”
In a statement, Entergy said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community. We are unable to comment due to pending litigation.”
Likewise, ERCOT explained it had not reviewed the lawsuits but would “respond accordingly once we do”:
Our thoughts are with all Texans who have and are suffering due to this past week. However, because approximately 46% of privately-owned generation tripped offline this past Monday morning, we are confident that our grid operators made the right choice to avoid a statewide blackout.
The storm claimed the lives of nearly two dozen residents with over half of them reported in the Houston area, Breitbart News reported Saturday.
“Most of the deaths came from hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning. The death toll is expected to rise [as] more people are found and autopsies are completed,” the outlet said.