The family of a young boy killed by a falling branch has won a multi-million dollar settlement from the California national park where the incident occurred.
Lamar McGlothurn, eight, was on a day trip to King Gillette Ranch in July 2025 when a 100-pound branch broke off a tree above him while he was sitting at a picnic table. He was rushed to hospital, but died from his injuries.
The family’s lawyer, Robert Glassman, told KCBS-TV that the branch “crushed Lamar to death in front of his mom and dad.”
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) accepted most of the financial responsibility for the incident after a text from a tree care company staffer at the park revealed that park operators were made aware the tree was in poor condition.
The text read: “It is somewhat concerning seeing all the decay at the trunk. It would be wise to thin the canopy and alleviate end weight at a minimum to mitigate risk,” per KTLA5.
MRCA have now reached a $14,350,000 settlement with the McGlothurns. Gomez Landscape & Tree Care and the summer camp, Camp Wildcraft, are also paying the family two settlements that amount to $300,000.
MRCA spokesperson Dash Stolarz told SFGATE: “We at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority cannot fathom the immense loss and tremendous pain the family of Lamar McClothurn has endured from Lamar’s tragic death. We can only hope that this settlement will, in some small way, bring solace and comfort to the McClothurn family in the days and years ahead.”
MRCA paid an additional $4,650,000 to six other parties. Four other people at the scene were also injured by the 25-30 foot branch. An 11-year-old girl suffered a broken leg, a 5-year-old had head lacerations, a 73-year-old man incurred a concussion, and a 22-year-old man sustained head and arm bruises.
According to KTLA5 reporting from August 2025, the mother of a Camp Wildcraft counsellor told the outlet that another branch from the same tree had fallen earlier that week before the fatal incident.
Prior to 2025, Camp Wildcraft was held at another location, but had to move to the Calabasas park due to damage from the Palisades wildfires in 2025.
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