AUSTIN, Texas (KXXV) — Families of seven victims who died in a July 4 flash flood at a Texas summer camp have filed a lawsuit alleging gross negligence by Camp Mystic and its owners.
The lawsuit, filed in Travis County District Court, seeks accountability for the deaths of 27 people during what attorneys called an "entirely preventable tragedy" at the camp along the Guadalupe River.
The plaintiffs include the parents of five campers and two counselors who died in the flooding. Camp Mystic is located in a region known as "Flash Flood Alley," according to the petition.
The lawsuit alleges the camp failed to adopt required evacuation plans, ignored weather warnings and implemented unsafe policies. Attorneys claim camp leadership ordered campers to remain in cabins as floodwaters rose and delayed evacuation to protect equipment rather than lives.
"We carry the memory of our daughter in everything we do," said Ryan DeWitt, whose daughter Molly was among the victims. "We trust that through this process, light will be shed on what happened, and our hope is that justice will pave the way for prevention and much-needed safety reform."
The victims include Anna Margaret Bellows, Lila Bonner, Chloe Childress, Molly DeWitt, Katherine Ferruzzo, Lainey Landry and Blakely McCrory.
Paul Yetter, an attorney representing the families, said Camp Mystic, "failed at its primary job to keep its campers and counselors safe."
"This action is about transparency, responsibility and ensuring no other family experiences what these parents will now suffer the rest of their lives," Yetter said.
The lawsuit seeks actual and exemplary damages and aims to establish greater safety standards at Texas youth camps.
Camp Mystic officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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