SoCal boy was killed by massive tree branch at summer camp; $19.3-million settlement reached
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A year after a tree branch fell at a Calabasas summer camp and killed an 8-year-old camper, the child’s family has reached a $19.3-million settlement with a local public agency, the camp and a landscaping company, documents show.
Lamar McGlothurn’s family will receive some $16 million from insurers for the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority, according to a settlement reviewed by The Times and reporting by the Pasadena Star-News. Insurers for the camp and a landscaping company would contribute an additional $3 million.
“This tragedy was entirely preventable,” said attorney Robert Glassman in a statement on behalf of the family. “When dangerous conditions exist on public property, families deserve answers, transparency, and action.”
On July 9, 2025, people at Camp Wildcraft reported hearing a loud crack before the massive branch, estimated to weigh several hundred pounds, came tumbling down, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Lt. Daniel Vizcarra told The Times.
The branch was 25 to 30 feet long, and campers had been underneath it, using it for shade, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Department and the L.A. County Fire Department responded and found three injured children and two injured adults, Vizcarra said.
Lamar, 8, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An 11-year-old girl was airlifted to a hospital with a broken leg. A 5-year-old boy suffered a cut on his head; a 22-year-old man was bruised on his head and arms; and a 73-year-old man sustained a concussion in the incident, the Sheriff’s Department said.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the family accused the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority, which manages the 588 acres of public park land in the Santa Monica Mountains; the camp; and a landscaping company of negligence. It cited emails between the parties about issues with tree branches and claimed that another branch had fallen at the camp shortly before the deadly incident.
Times staff writer Clara Harter and former Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
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