Left inset: Lamar McGlothurn (Panish, Shea, Ravipudi LLP). Right inset: The tree that produced the "deadly" branch that killed Lamar McGlothurn, which was allegedly hollow and decaying for years (PSR). Background: Camp Wildcraft at King Gillette Ranch in California, where Lamar McGlothurn was killed by a falling tree branch in July 2025 (KCBS/YouTube).
A California mom and dad who watched their 8-year-old son get crushed to death by a "massive" oak tree branch that his summer camp allegedly knew was "just waiting to fall" are getting millions as part of a lawsuit settlement.
"We at the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) cannot fathom the immense loss and tremendous pain the family of Lamar McGlothurn has endured from Lamar's tragic death," wrote Dash Stolarz, spokesperson for the MRCA — which is the public agency that managed the park where Lamar McGlothurn was killed — in a statement to SFGate.
"We can only hope that this settlement will, in some small way, bring solace and comfort to the McGlothurn family in the days and years ahead," Stolarz said.
Lamar's parents sued MRCA and the summer day camp he was attending at the time of his death at King Gillette Ranch in Los Angeles County, Camp Wildcraft, as well as a local tree care company following the July 2025 incident.
The settlement agreement, which was reviewed by SFGate following a public records request, states that $14.65 million will be paid to the parents. A reported $14.35 million will come from the MRCA through $300,000 in direct payments and the remainder from insurance; two smaller payments of $100,000 and $200,000 will come from Gomez Landscape & Tree Care and Camp Wildcraft.
"When dangerous conditions exist on public property, families deserve answers, transparency, and action," said the parents' lawyer, Robert Glassman, in a statement to SFGate. "We were honored to stand beside this family and fight for accountability, and we hope this case leads to safer parks and prevents another family from suffering the same unimaginable loss."
Glassman and the parents alleged that camp staffers "knew branches were dangerously dropping" from the tree that killed Lamar and "inexplicably directed groups of young children to play, paint and rest directly under the tree," according to their legal complaint.
"That is exactly what Lamar was doing when he was tragically killed by the falling branch," the complaint said.
The parents were picking Lamar up from Camp Wildcraft when the "deadly" oak tree branch "snapped off the tree" and killed him, the complaint said.
"His parents, present for pickup, tragically witnessed the death of their son," Glassman said in a November 2025 press release. "The public entities and the Camp had long been on notice that the oak trees in the area of the park used by Camp Wildcraft were unhealthy, and this was not the first time a large branch had fallen from the same tree."
According to the complaint, another branch fell from the tree seven days earlier and crews at King Gillette Ranch allegedly raised concerns about the decaying tree. Text messages and emails from the MRCA, which operates King Gillette Ranch, show that staff requested the removal of at least one branch that snapped from the tree on July 2.
"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 Gomez Landscape & Tree Care, according to the complaint.
"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 alleged.
A timeline provided by the family's attorneys said 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 complaint said.
"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 concluded. "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 has not responded to Law&Crime's requests for comment.
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