The mother of an 11-year-old boy who died after they lost electricity and heat in their Texas mobile home during last weeks freeze has filed a $100 million lawsuit against two power companies for gross negligence.
Maria Pineda said the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Entergy Corp are responsible for the death of her son Cristian, who was found unresponsive on the morning of Feb. 16 at home, where he shared a bed with his 3-year-old brother.
More than 4 million people in Texas lost power and at least two dozen people died after a snowstorm blanketed the state last week and sent temperatures plunging well below freezing.
The complaint filed on Saturday accused the defendants of ignoring a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recommendation following a 2011 freeze to winterize the power grid, and were caught wholly unprepared when the grid failed last week.
Cristian froze to death because grid wasnt a priority, and the energy provider made decisions based on profits, said the complaint filed in the Jefferson County District Court.