Accusations of Putting Profit Over Safety at Camp Mystic
Camp Mystic and the family that runs the Christian girls summer camp have been accused of putting “profit over safety” by the families of seven campers and two counselors who died in the July 4 Central Texas flood that killed 27 people.
Three separate lawsuits were filed Monday in Travis County district court.
In a 32-page lawsuit filed Monday afternoon, a set of families representing seven who died in the flood brought claims brought claims of negligence, premises liability, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful death. The families are seeking more than $1 million in damages and have demanded a jury trial.
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The Lawsuit Allegations
“The Camp chose to house young girls in cabins sitting in flood-prone areas, despite the risk, to avoid the cost of relocating the cabins,” the lawsuit alleges. “The Camp chose not to make plans to safely evacuate its campers and counselors from those cabins, despite state rules requiring evacuation plans, and not to spend time and money on safety training and tools. Instead, the Camp chose to assure its campers and counselors that these cabins are built on ‘high, safe locations.’ And the Camp chose to order its campers and counselors, as a matter of policy, to stay in these flood-plain cabins regardless of life-threatening floods.”
Response from Camp Mystic
In a statement, Camp Mystic legal counsel Jeff Ray said that they “empathize with the families of the campers and counselors who lost loved ones.”
“We continue to pray for the grieving families and ask for God’s healing and comfort.”
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Separate Lawsuits
Separately, Timothy Peck and Melissa Peck, the parents of Eloise “Lulu” Peck, who was 8 years old when she died, filed a separate 31-page lawsuit against Camp Mystic alleging negligence that seeks more than $1 million in damages and a demand for a jury trial.
“There is no greater trust than when a parent entrusts the care of their child to another. Parents don’t send their children to summer camp to die,” the lawsuit reads. “They are told and trust that the camp will protect the child in their care and love the child as if it were their own. Camp Mystic (sometimes hereinafter referred to as the “Camp”) and the people who ran it betrayed that trust. Camp Mystic’s shocking betrayal of that trust caused the horrific, tragic and needless deaths of twenty-seven innocent young girls, including Eloise “Lulu” Peck. This case seeks accountability for that betrayal and to send a message to other camps — protect the kids in your care.”
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Another Lawsuit
Also on Monday, Douglas Getten and Jennifer Getten, whose 9-year-old daughter Ellen Elizabeth Getten died in the flood, filed a separate lawsuit against Natural Fountains Properties, Mystic Camps Family Partnership, Mystic Camps Management, Camp Mystic, Willetta Eastland, Edward Eastland, Mary Liz Eastland, Seaborn Stacy Eastland and William Neely Bonner III.
“This case is being brought to seek justice, to demand accountability, and raise awareness regarding Camp Mystic and the defendants’ actions and failures in the hopes that no parent has to ever suffer as Ellen’s parents have, and that no child like Ellen has to ever die a horrific, traumatic, and preventable death at a camp again,” the lawsuit reads.
Investigation and Comments
Plaintiff lawyer Mikal Watts, who told The Texas Lawbook in an interview in October that he would be representing the family that owns Camp Mystic pro bono, and that they would be his first defense client, did not respond to an email seeking comment late Thursday afternoon.
“I’ve spent three months conducting a thorough investigation, and I believe that facts matter,” Watts said last month. “This was a flood of biblical proportions. This was preventable only one way — by deploying Texas tax money into modern river flood surge warning devices instead of the 70-year-old technology being used in Texas.”
“The sirens never went off. The warnings never came,” said Watts, who also owns property along the Guadalupe River about 12 miles from Camp Mystic. “We, as a state, failed those families. Those girls never had a chance.” “There is no jury in America that will hold Camp Mystic responsible,” he said.
Conclusion
The lawsuits against Camp Mystic are a result of the tragic events that occurred during the July 4 Central Texas flood. The families of the victims are seeking justice and accountability for the deaths of their loved ones. The cases will likely be closely watched as they make their way through the court system.
FAQs
Q: What happened at Camp Mystic?
A: A flash flood swept through the camp, resulting in the deaths of 27 people, including campers and counselors.
Q: Who is being sued?
A: Camp Mystic, the family that runs the camp, and several other entities are being sued by the families of the victims.
Q: What are the lawsuits alleging?
A: The lawsuits are alleging negligence, premises liability, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and wrongful death.
Q: How much are the families seeking in damages?
A: The families are seeking more than $1 million in damages.
Q: What is the response from Camp Mystic?
