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(CNN)The family of an 11-year-old Texas boy who died last week after a record-breaking deep freeze is suing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Entergy Texas for $100 million.
Cristian Pineda died of hypothermia, just one day after he saw snow for the first time in his life, according to his attorney and the
lawsuit filed over the weekend in Jefferson County District Court.
Maria Pineda watches a video of her son, Cristian Pavon Pineda, 11, playing in the snow for the first time on February 18 in Conroe, Texas. Cristian's cause of death has not been determined. Taylor Nichols with Montgomery County Forensic Services said it will be at least 60 to 90 days before they have autopsy results for Cristian. She said her office does not issue preliminary reports and they have to wait until all of the testing comes back.
Pineda family attorney Anthony Buzbee told CNN the lawsuit is the first of seven that will filed."I think it's pretty ironic, here we are in the energy capital of the country, in a state that claims its energy independence and we have people dying in their homes because they don't have power in the fourth largest city in the country. It's unfathomable," Buzbee said. Read MoreThe lawsuit says that ERCOT made the "decision to not require equipment upgrades to better withstand extreme winter temperatures, and instead choosing to operate mostly isolated from other grids in the U.S., left the majority of the Texas power system unprepared for severe winter weather, and unable to deal effectively when Texas experienced severe weather."
After a deadly storm, some Texans must change electric providers while others still dont have waterEntergy Texas is the
power company that delivers electricity to customers in more than two dozen counties in Texas, including Montgomery County, where the Pineda family resides."We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community. We are unable to comment due to pending litigation," an Entergy Texas spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.ERCOT provided CNN with a statement saying it hasn't reviewed the lawsuit, but "will respond accordingly" when it has."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," ERCOT spokesperson Leslie Sopko said. Pineda family 'huddled' for warmthThe lawsuit describes how the Pineda family "huddled" for warmth as temperatures dropped to 10 degrees."As the storm worsened on Tuesday, the temperatures reached historic lows - as low as 10 degrees in the Pineda's area. To stay warm, the entire family of five huddled in a single room. Cristian Pineda shared a bed and tried to warm his younger brother, while his mother and stepfather comforted his baby brother nearby. Cristian was only 11. He suffered the frigid temperatures for the entire night, suffering until his family found him unresponsive the next day. The family immediately called 911. The family attempted CPR, but it was too late. (Cristian)
died because grid wasn't a priority, and the energy provider made decisions based on profits," the lawsuit claims.
Maria Pineda's son, Cristian Pavon Pineda, 11, died as temperatures plummeted into the teens on February 16.Conroe Police Lt. James Kelemen Sr. told CNN the boy's death remains under investigation and there's no signs of foul play."Since the 11-year-old has not been to a doctor in several years, we do not have any medical history on him," Kelemen told CNN in an email.Buzbee said the child hadn't been to a doctor because he was healthy."We don't have the autopsy results but what we do know is he had no underlying health conditions. He was a healthy child. Whether the cold killed him or played a role in his death, we will know soon," Buzbee said, adding "All I know for sure is he was a healthy young man and he died because the temperature in his mobile home was 12 degrees."
Regulators examine Texas energy market after natural gas prices soared 10,000%Police can't confirm the boy died from hypothermia. Kelemen said the police department is waiting for the results from the autopsy and toxicology report to determine the child's cause of death."The child was fine when he went to bed but never woke up. We cannot say, at this time, that the cold weather was a factor in the death," Kelemen said.
The lawsuit also describes "images of empty downtown Houston office buildings with power, but the Pineda's mobile home park was left without power.""Despite having knowledge of the dire weather forecast for at least a week in advance, and the knowledge that the system was not prepared for more than a decade, ERCOT and Entergy failed to take any preemptory action that could have averted the crisis and were wholly unprepared to deal with the crisis at hand," the lawsuit says.
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State: Neglect Contributed to Deaths of Young Girls in Fire
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Neglect contributed to the deaths of two young girls in a fire at a Providence home in December, state child welfare officials said Friday.
The girls, ages 2 and 7, died from injuries suffered in the Dec. 22 fire, authorities said.
As a result the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families investigated.
“The Department initiated an investigation and determined neglect contributed to their fatalities," the agency said in an emailed statement. “Pursuant to state law, DCYF has notified the Office of the Child Advocate of the report."
The agency had no prior involvement with the family.
The children were brought to Hasbro Children’s Hospital after being pulled unresponsive from the second floor of the multi-family home. Ashley Sandoval, 7, died the day of the fire, authorities said at the time. Her sister, Allison Sandoval, 2, died several days later.
Adult relatives and another juvenile who were home at the time of the fire escaped.
The Department of Children, Youth and Families said due to confidentiality laws, it could not disclose any additional information.
The fire remains under investigation but arson has been ruled out, public safety officials said.
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Tags: Associated Press, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, crime
