CONROE, Texas — The family of an 11-year-old Texas boy who died Tuesday during the state’s winter storm is filing a $100 million lawsuit, their attorney said Saturday.
Attorney Tony Buzbee told KTRK that Cristian Pavon’s family is suing power grid operator ERCOT and electricity provider Entergy for gross negligence.
Pavon was found dead Tuesday in his family’s mobile home in Conroe, which was without power as temperatures dropped below freezing. The boy was unresponsive when his mother, Maria Elisa Pineda, attempted to wake him at about 2:30 p.m., The Washington Post reported. Pavon was sleeping in because there was no school that day, and he was sleeping under a pile of blankets in his family’s unheated mobile home, the newspaper reported.
The lawsuit alleges that Pavon died of hypothermia, KHOU reported.
Medical examiners have not yet released his cause of death, the television station reported.
>> Winter storm: Boy, 11, found dead after frigid night in Texas mobile home
Court documents released Saturday stated the family and Buzbee believe those companies are liable for the boy’s death.
“And other suits will come,” Buzbee told KTRK. “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.”
ERCOT also released a statement, noting that the company had not yet reviewed the lawsuits “and will respond accordingly once we do.”
“Our thoughts are with all Texans who have and are suffering due to this past week,” ERCOT added. “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.”
An autopsy on Pavon was performed Thursday, Conroe Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Smith told The Courier of Montgomery County. It will be several weeks before a cause of death is determined, he said.
Pavon’s funeral will be held at The Woodlands First Baptist Church on Feb. 27, KTRK reported.
The family started a GoFundMe page to send Pavon’s body to his native Honduras. As of late Saturday, more than $80,000 had been raised.