Published
Cristian Pineda died last week at his home in Texas. His family blames the energy supplier Ercot for this. After snowfall and freezing temperatures, millions of households were without electricity.
The USA struggled with freezing temperatures and blizzards a few days ago. (Pictured is the Texas city of Austin).
AFP
Icy highways near Forth Worth, Texas.
AFP
-
An eleven year old froze to death in his bed during the winter storm in Texas over the past few days.
-
His family blames the energy supplier Ercot for this.
-
Mother Maria Pineda has filed a lawsuit for negligence in the death of a child.
The family of a deceased boy is suing Energy Corporation (Ercot), an electricity company in Texas grosser negligence when a child dies. You demandt 100 million dollars (equivalent to around 90 million Swiss francs) from the company in damages after the elfyear old Cristian Pineda was frozen to death in his house last week. More than four million households were temporarily without electricity after snowfall and freezing temperatures. Utility company Ercot manages 90 percent of the Texas power grid.
Maria Pineda had found her son dead in her mobile home in sub-zero temperatures last week. The boy was huddled next to his three-year-old brother under a pile of blankets, as reported by ABC News. The family suspects that Cristian died of hypothermia. The results of the autopsy are expected in the coming weeks.
But it is already clear to the mother: Her son died because the energy supplier Ercot was his «Profit over the good of the people» Job. The company was aware of the poor weather forecast a week in advance and still did not take any preventive measures to prevent the crisis.
Texans now receive “astronomical” utility bills
Dhe electricity market in the state in the south of the USA is heavily deregulated and, with certain providers, is tied to fluctuating wholesale prices. As a result of the extreme weather, the demand for electricity exceeded the supply, which now leads to an “astronomical” increase in costs for affected customers. For example, a man in a suburb of the Dallas metropolis received a bill for just under 16,752 dollars (about 15,000 francs), reported the New York Times. Other Texas residents posted their billions, often thousands of dollars, on social media.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Seeks Solutions a to support those affected with the skyrocketing costs, his office announced on Sunday. Customers should Don’t be left with the costs alone, Abbott said. Until then, no electricity will be turned off if the bill is not paid. In addition, providers should initially not issue any further invoices.
Do you mourn or mourns someone you know
#Winter #storm #Texas #11yearold #froze #death #bed #family #demands #million #dollars
