The cold weather and storms ravaging Texas are a hot-button political issue, but what’s become apparent is that the deaths and injuries caused by these storms have put an incredible burden on the people of Texas. If you live in the areas affected by power outages and lost a loved one due to freezing conditions in your home, you may be entitled to compensation.
The Queenan Law Firm’s Texas attorney for deaths caused by the 2021 power outages is ready to fight for Texans who have lost loved ones or faced serious injuries because of the negligent mismanagement during these storms and power outages. Call our law offices today to set up a free legal consultation and discuss what happened in your case with our experienced wrongful death lawyers. Call us today at (817) 476-1797.
Who Is Responsible for Deaths Caused by the Winter Storm Blackouts in Texas?
The question of who is literally responsible for the increase in bad winter storms and unprepared power grids across Texas is a broad question that scientists, government experts, and independent groups are currently investigating. What we do know is that across the board, Texas was unprepared for these storms. However, power companies and landlords may be responsible for specific errors and issues along the way that resulted in death or injury to Texas residents, and our attorneys are prepared to represent these victims and their families in lawsuits to get them the compensation they need.
Negligent Utility and Power Companies
Many of the blackouts were caused by unprepared electric companies and utility companies actively making the decision to shut off power to certain areas. In some cases, negligence in how these companies prepared for the winter storms could have also led to power production issues. In many cases, it seems like power companies might have chosen profits over the expense of winterizing their equipment, and they could be responsible for the results of these oversights.
In some areas, such as Galveston County, local law enforcement agencies have already begun criminal investigations into deaths caused by utility companies cutting power.
Negligent Landlords
Similarly, many Texans living in apartments and other rented homes may have faced terrible conditions in their units because landlords failed to take necessary precautions to keep them safe. If a landlord failed to properly winterize the building and allowed pipes to freeze or other parts of the premises to become damaged during the storms, they could be responsible for their tenants’ exposure-related injuries and death. Further, failing to warn tenants about the dangers of using grills, open ovens, or gas stoves for heat could be considered negligent if residents succumbed to toxic exposure from burning charcoal or carbon monoxide poisoning from any source of heat or fire.
Negligent Emergency Services
Many other deaths and injuries involved homeless and unhoused individuals, some of whom might have been negligently turned away from emergency services such as hospitals or homeless shelters. Families of these victims could be entitled to sue those emergency services for negligence.
Suing for Wrongful Death From the Cold in Texas Winter Storm Outages
In any case where a person or company’s negligent actions or inactions lead to injury or death, the victims are entitled to file a lawsuit against the responsible parties. In these cases, it is up to the victim and their family – the plaintiffs – to prove that the company or individual – the defendant – actually did something wrong and that their negligence caused the injury or death.
In these cases, the first hurdle will be proving that an energy company, landlord, or other party violated a legal duty that they owed the victim. In many cases, there is no duty to go out of one’s way to help or protect other people unless you already have an established relationship with them that creates such a duty. In the case of electricity providers and landlords, that relationship to customers or tenants might be enough to create a legal duty that our attorneys can put forward as evidence of fault in a wrongful death case.
We must also prove that they actually breached that duty, which will require investigations and evidence collection to help us see what decisions were made at what times that led to the deaths in question.
It is also important in a wrongful death case from the winter weather blackouts in Texas that the plaintiff’s attorney prove that the defendant’s conduct actually caused the death. The situation has been very bad in Texas, and it is possible that some of these deaths may have been unavoidable. Whether that be because no one could reasonably predict the blackouts or because a home was simply impossible to protect from the extreme cold, this could hurt a case. However, in cases where power companies intentionally turned off electricity or where landlords refused to make repairs, it becomes clear that actions and inactions were the actual cause of death and serious injury for many families across Texas.
Call Our Texas Attorney for Deaths Caused by the 2021 Power Outages if You Lost a Loved One
If you lost a loved one because of the power outages and cold temperatures in Texas, it is possible that you may be entitled to compensation. The Texas attorney for deaths caused by the 2021 power outages at The Queenan Law Firm has decades of experience representing families who lost loved ones in accidents and disasters across Texas. Call our law offices today at (817) 476-1797 to set up a free legal consultation where our attorney can start looking into your case and determining what legal grounds you have to file lawsuits against utility companies, landlords, or other parties responsible for your loved one’s death. For help seeking justice for your loved one’s death, call us today.