The devastated mom of a Queens woman who died a grisly death by electrocution during Hurricane Sandy is suing Con Edison over the accident.
“I pray that this lawsuit gains attention throughout New York so that Con Ed is forced to make changes to its equipment that will save lives,” the mother, Kim Tinnin said in a statement.
Tinnin filed the negligence suit in Manhattan Supreme Court this morning claiming the utility giant “failed to shut down the power lines in the area surrounding” Tinnin and her daughter Lauren Abraham’s Richmond Hill home on October 29, 2012.
“The voltage of the still-electrified line horrifyingly caused Ms. Abraham to burst into flames,” says a press release about the suit.
“For the next 30 minutes, she burned alive, while friends and neighbors were forced to look on, unable to help because the line was still live.
“Tragically, Ms. Abraham was conscious for the entire time, screaming and writhing in unimaginable agony,” the legal papers say.
She was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.
Con Ed never contacted the family of the 23-year-old makeup artists and prospective teacher to express condolences for the tragic event, the suit claims.
It took workers more than two hours to cut down the line, according to the court papers.
Con Ed could have used safety measures like powering-down the lines to save the young woman’s life, Tinnin argues.
A Con Ed spokesman said, “We have yet to be served with a filed copy of the complaint. This was a tragedy caused by Superstorm Sandy. We will address the matter in court.”
Tinnin is seeking unspecified monetary damages.