Over the past week, millions of Texans have endured a catastrophic winter storm that has largely done its damage by crippling the state's unprepared infrastructure.
According to The Weather Network, this left an estimated 2.7 million households without power and has seen water pipes burst after dealing with the deep freeze.
And as we've recently seen, even many of those who had power have faced potentially ruinous charges on their electricity bills due to companies offering energy plans tied to market prices.
Yet the worst consequence from this disaster has concerned the at least 30 deaths that The Guardian reported as emerging from the cold snap, either as a result of hypothermia or from carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from desperate attempts to stave off the cold.
And while it remains unconfirmed that one 11-year-old boy died as a result of the crisis, the likelihood that he did has compelled his family to take legal action against those they believe could have prevented this.