An eight-year-old boy in California tragically lost his life when a large tree branch fell on him during a summer camp, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents. The family is taking legal action against the camp, claiming that staff were aware of the hazardous conditions posed by the tree and, despite this, directed children to engage in activities beneath it.

The lawsuit states that Lamar McGlothurn was participating in camp activities at Camp Wildcraft, located at King Gillette Ranch in Los Angeles County, when the fatal incident occurred on July 9. His parents, who had arrived to pick him up, witnessed the heartbreaking event as a large oak branch suddenly broke off and struck their son.

In a statement issued by the family’s legal representatives, Robert Glassman and Joe O’Hanlon, they highlighted that both the public entities and the camp had been previously alerted to the hazardous condition of the oak trees in the area. The statement noted that this particular tree had a history of shedding large branches, raising questions about safety management.

Documents filed with the court reveal that another branch from the same tree had fallen just a week earlier. The staff at King Gillette Ranch reportedly voiced concerns about the tree’s condition, as evidenced by communications from the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA), which oversees the site. These messages include a request for the removal of a branch that had broken off on July 2.

In an email exchange, an MRCA division chief expressed relief that the earlier incident did not result in injuries, writing, “Wow. That was a massive branch. Thank god that no one was seriously hurt or killed. Thank you so much for taking care of this. I would not have been able to sleep at night knowing that branch was just waiting to fall.”

“Wow. That was a massive branch,” an MRCA division chief allegedly wrote in an email about the previous branch that fell. “Thank god that no one was seriously hurt or killed. Thank you so much for taking care of this. I would not have been able to sleep at night knowing that branch was just waiting to fall.”

Lamar was killed a week later, despite recommendations to do something about the “health of the tree” from a local landscaping company that was called in.

“It is somewhat concerning seeing all the decay at the trunk,” a worker allegedly texted. “It would be wise to thin the canopy and alleviate end weight at a minimum to mitigate the risk,” the employee said, but nothing was done, according to the complaint.

“Based on several reports, Camp Wildcraft even directed the campers, like Lamar, to stay within the target zone of the tree on July 9 despite such notice of falling tree limbs capable of killing the children underneath,” the complaint alleges.

A timeline provided by the family’s attorneys says the text from the landscaper was sent to camp staff on July 3, six days before Lamar’s death. Post-incident inspections by experts hired by the family’s legal team have revealed “significant signs of deterioration in the oak tree,” including structural defects, stress signs, and internal decay that would have been visually apparent, their lawyers say.

“The presence of degraded wood tissue and separation between dead and live bark indicates the tree has experienced chronic stress and physiological decline over time,” the complaint concludes. “These conditions likely represent a long-standing defect that would have been observable prior to the failure event and, in my opinion, constitute a clear visual warning of compromised structural integrity in the trunk of the tree.”

Camp Wildcraft describes itself as an “art and nature day camp” with a mission to “grow curious, creative, caring and confident kids,” according to its website. The camp did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment Wednesday. An MRCA spokesperson sent Law&Crime a statement saying, “The MRCA will review the claim and complaint and respond at the appropriate time through the legal process. From day one, the MRCA has been committed to a full, thorough, and transparent inquiry, with a proposed action plan to ensure that a tragedy like this never occurs again. That investigation remains open and ongoing, and the MRCA continues to cooperate fully with all parties involved.”