The parents of an 8-year-old boy killed by a fallen tree branch at a summer camp in Calabasas filed a claim Monday, Nov. 17, against the camp and a government agency, claiming officials knew the tree posed a safety hazard and could have prevented the child’s death.

Lamar McGlothurn’s parents arrived to pick him up on July 9 from Camp Wildcraft at King Gillette Ranch and instead watched as an oak tree branch fell, killing their son.

His parents allege officials knew about the tree’s decay and the safety risk that it posed at least a week before Lamar’s death, when another branch fell from the tree. Officials didn’t take proactive steps to mitigate the hazard, even though the tree had visible decay, according to the claim.

The government claim filed against Camp Wildcraft, Gomez Landscape

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