The family of an 11-year-old who died in Texas is suing power company Entergy and grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for more than $ 100 million, citing gross negligence over the boy’s death. Cristian Pavon died Tuesday after a freezing night in his family’s mobile home in Conroe, Texas.
The house had been out of power since the previous Sunday.
As the CBS Houston affiliate KHOU reports, the lawsuit alleges that Pavon died of hypothermia. A cause of death has yet to be released by medical investigators.
The family is represented by lawyer Tony Buzbee. CBS News has reached out.
Pavon’s mother, Maria Elisa Pineda Guzman, said the family slept in a room to keep warm. ‘He fell asleep. He was wearing a shirt, a sweater, two pants and socks, ”Pavon’s aunt, Jaliza Yera, said to K’HOU. His stepfather checked on him later that night and put another blanket over him.
The family tried to wake Pavon on Tuesday afternoon, but he did not respond. The family told KHOU they tried to call 911 but were waiting for a Spanish-speaking operator.
KHOU has obtained statements from Entergy and ERCOT regarding the matter. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in our community. We cannot comment because of ongoing lawsuits,” said Entergy.
ERCOT has released a statement saying it has yet to review the lawsuit.[We] will respond accordingly when we do. Our thoughts are with all Texans suffering or suffering from the past week. “
“With approximately 46% of private generators going offline last Monday morning, we are confident that our grid operators have made the right choice to avoid a statewide power outage,” said ERCOT.