The mother of a teenage boy who died while helping to plant trees in Multnomah County, Oregon with his school is now suing the school and the organization that put on the event (screengrab via WBKO).
The mother of a 14-year-old in Oregon who died while participating in a tree-planting project in 2021 when a heavy branch fell on him has sued both the boy's school and the volunteer organization that organized the event.
On Nov. 6, 2021, Christopher Robert Declan Kelly had been fulfilling required volunteer hours to graduate from Central Catholic High School in the Sandy River Delta region of Troutdale, a suburb of Portland, when a large section of a black cottonwood tree fell from 52 feet and struck him on the head. According to the lawsuit, Kelly continued planting after being struck, but later died at the scene after emergency personnel arrived, local Fox affiliate KPTV reported.
Christopher's mother filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Thursday. She is seeking $29 million in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Central Catholic High School and volunteer group Friends of Trees were negligent in failing to protect students from bad weather despite the forecasted possibility of thunderstorms. Specifically, the complaint says that the host organizations neither provided volunteers with helmets nor moved volunteers into shelter after the last sound of thunder, as is advised by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to the filing, there were strong wind gusts and thunder reported 1 mile away from where the volunteers were planting trees. It notes that a group of students who were not properly dressed for the weather were huddled under a tent, and an arborist with Friends of Trees went to her car to get out of the elements.
Central Catholic said in a statement:
Our community was deeply saddened by the tragic death of freshman Christopher Kelly in 2021 and continues to share our sympathy with the Kelly family. We were just made aware of the lawsuit this morning and it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.
Law&Crime reached out to representatives for the plaintiffs as well as Friends of Trees for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.