The lawsuit, filed in Travis County, aims for “accountability and truth” over the tragedy at the Kerr County camp.
SAN ANTONIO — A new lawsuit filed by families who lost children at Camp Mystic in the July 4 flooding accuses the popular Kerr County retreat of failing to implement evacuation plans and ignoring weather warnings leading up to the natural disaster.
The suit alleges gross negligence and reckless disregard on the part of the camp’s owners and “affiliated entities.”
Twenty-seven young girls and counselors were killed when early morning flooding devastated the camp, located in Hunt, Texas, along the banks of the Guadalupe River. It’s the site of some of the worst devastation that was wrought by the July floods, and has served as a focal point of lawmakers’ efforts to ensure summer camps in the state are better prepared for future floods.
“We carry the memory of our daughter in everything we do. This legal step is one of honoring her, and we believe that truth and justice are essential to finding peace—not only for our family, but for every family affected,” Ryan DeWitt, a Houston father who lost his daughter, Molly, at the camp said in a release. “We trust that through this process, light will be shed on what happened, and our hope is that justice will pave the way for prevention and much-needed safety reform.”
Loved ones of five campers and two counselors who died at Mystic are represented in the lawsuit, filed in Travis County. Their attorneys say they’re seeking “accountability and truth” over what happened there.
“Camp Mystic failed at its primary job to keep its campers and counselors safe, and young girls died as a result,” an attorney, Yetter Coleman, said in the release. “This action is about transparency, responsibility and ensuring no other family experiences what these parents will now suffer the rest of their lives.”
More than 100 people died across Kerr County in the July 4 floods. Weeks later, recovery and debris cleanup efforts are ongoing.
This is a developing story.