CONROE, Texas (KXAN) — An 11-year-old Conroe boy died during frigid temperatures and winter storms in Texas last week, and his family filed a lawsuit against the state’s power grid authority and an energy company that services Harris County.
The family of Cristian Pineda is suing ERCOT and Entergy for gross negligence, Houston news station KPRC reports, accusing them of failing to warn people of a hazard, providing inaccurate and incomplete advice and information to customers and participating in and contributing to acts that caused the incident.
KPRC reports the lawsuit says the temperature of the mobile home Pineda was in was near 10 degrees after the power went out and no heat source could be turned on. The family huddled together in an effort to stay warm, with Cristian’s mother and stepfather were with the family’s baby and Cristian was with his little brother. Cristian was found the next morning unconscious, the report said.
A carbon monoxide test in the home was negative, the report said.
Investigators are awaiting autopsy results to officially name a cause of Cristian’s death.
ERCOT released a statement to the Houston Chronicle that said, “This is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” and that they haven’t reviewed any pending lawsuits.
Entergy said they couldn’t comment on pending litigation, but said, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community.”
KXAN has reached out to obtain the lawsuit from attorneys for the Pineda family, and we will update this story once we receive it.
