Families sue Camp Mystic claiming deaths were "entirely preventable"

Families sue Camp Mystic claims death was "preventable"

In the wake of the deadly July 4 flood, families of seven Camp Mystic victims have filed a lawsuit alleging the for-profit camp exhibited gross negligence and prioritized cost-cutting over the safety of campers and counselors.

TEXAS - The families of five campers and two counselors who died in the flooding at Camp Mystic are now suing the summer camp.

Some pretty serious allegations are being made in a lawsuit against the camp. 

The most impactful part reads what the girls represented in the lawsuit should have been; third-graders, first-year students off to college, but instead, it simply reads they are all gone.

Families seek accountability

What we know:

Four months after floods ripped through Kerr County, the families of five campers and two counselors who died at Camp Mystic during the July 4 floods are suing the camp.

Among those suing, the parents of Lila Bonner of Dallas. She was only nine years old when she died at the camp.

Lila Bonner

25 campers and two camp counselors died in the floodwaters and Camp Mystic.

Allegations of Negligence and Cost-Cutting

The lawsuit alleges the "for-profit camp put profit over safety" by housing the young girls in cabins that were sitting in flood-prone areas to avoid the cost of relocating them. It also says the camp did not have evacuation plans, despite state laws, and assured campers and counselors that the cabins were built in safe locations. 

It also goes on to say that while the river was rising, "the Camp chose to direct its groundskeepers to spend over an hour evacuating camp equipment, not its campers and counselors."  

What they're saying:

The lawsuit ultimately builds on what parents told Texas legislators during hearings in the wake of the flood disaster.

"I told her camp was the safest place she could be," said Carrie Hanna, whose daughter Hadley died in the July 4 flood.

"Cile’s chance to experience the camp only existed because I was ensured that her safety and the safety of all the young girls was paramount. I ask you what could have been more important than that?" said another Camp Mystic parent.

The Crucial Evacuation Failure

Dig deeper:

The lawsuit specifically claims that while other campers were evacuated to the Rec Hall, the camp ordered those staying in the Bubble Inn and Twins cabins to stay put.

Related

article

'Heaven's 27' parents file lawsuit against Camp Mystic, claiming 'gross negligence'

The lawsuit filed by the families of the Camp Mystic flood victims accuses the camp of gross negligence for ignoring life-threatening flash flood warnings and failing to evacuate campers, resulting in the entirely preventable deaths of 27 people.

It includes photos and a map, showing the distance between the cabins and the hall.

As well as this photo of other campers, safely making it to the Rec Hall.

Second Lawsuit and Camp's Response

A second lawsuit was filed on Monday by the parents of Eloise Lulu Peck. The 8-year-old also died at Camp Mystic; her parents are suing the camp for $1 million citing negligence.

The other side:

A statement from Camp Mystic reads in part:

"We intend to demonstrate and prove that this sudden surge of floodwaters far exceeded any previous flood in the area by several magnitudes, that it was unexpected and that no adequate warning systems existed in the area."