Falling Tree Kills 11-Year-Old Girl Scout: Who’s At Fault?

 

Around this time last year, Indiana’s Camp Henry Koch, was the scene of one of the most tragic accidents in the state’s history – involving a girl scout troop taking an innocent walk through their new campground. Pronounced dead upon arrival at the local hospital emergency room, an 11-year-old girl scout suffered from fatal injuries to both her head and abdominal area – as a result of being struck down by a falling tree in the path. The Sheriff of Perry County, Alan Malone was choked up, fighting back tears as he gave a press conference to the local media, informing them about the young girl’s passing. The popular hiking and camping site, Camp Koch, covers approximately 500 acres of rugged woodland in the hills along the Ohio River. It is a resident camp facility maintained and protected year-round by a resident ranger. Although the area had experienced frequent rainfall in recent weeks and it was raining when local deputies arrived at the scene, no severe weather or lightning reported in the vicinity at the time. Sheriff Malone said he couldn’t be sure why the 40-foot tree fell when it did.

The young girl in her troop wasn’t the only girl in her troop, as another 10-year-old was treated at the hospital for a hand injury, and two older women, 50 and 55 years old, suffered serious injuries but are now in stable condition. According to Mr. Charles Spinner,Esq. of Spinner Law Firm, considered by many to be the best wrongful death lawyer Tampa has to offer, its nearly impossible to tell why the tree fell when it did, but in the event it showed evidence of rot, or any type of trunk damage, there might be some negligence on the part of the parks department. However, to understand that will certainly take a detailed investigation – one which is somewhat underway.

During such a tragedy, the first thing most people want to do is just to mourn in peace and avoid thinking about the legality of it all and if there was any negligence that took part – however, this is why it is important to acquire the services of the best personal injury layer Tampa has to offer, in Mr. Charles Spinner. The fact is that we live in modern times, where justice usually comes through a lawsuit in front of a judge and a jury. And while there is no bringing the young girl back, there is the prospect of obtaining justice and damages in her name and honor. As a wrongful death lawyer Tampa Bays’ Charles Spinner must figure out where any aspects of negligence might be.

For instance, under the legal theory of premises liability, entities that invite others onto their property or offers a service for money – like parks that offer campsites – can be held responsible for injuries that happen on the property. Therefore, they may be required to check for unseen risks, such as trees that may fall, and take steps to cut unstable trees down before they accidentally fall on an unsuspecting camper. As the best personal injury lawyer Tampa has in practice, Mr. Spinner, would most likely look into the budgeting for such an area, and see which city, county or municipality the campgrounds fall under. Once he is able to determine this, he can then identify what their budget might have been for common forestry tasks such as tree trimming, and cutting.

All too often, smaller areas such as this will cut their budget for such tasks in an effort to save money – this means less people working in the forest and looking out for rotten trees, that may be at risk of falling over on an individual during a camping trip – as happened here. As far as any wrongful death lawyer Tampa Bay’s Charles Spinner is considered to be one of the best, and with years of experience he would be able to quickly identify the problem and where the negligence can be found. In such an instance, while some might think to file suit against the girl scout troop leader or other adults that might have been there, the fact is that they were susceptible to the same dangers. In reality, the real point of negligence here lies with the entire Perry County government, as they were responsible for keeping the area safe, and part of the duties of their parks department means trimming and cutting down trees that might present a danger, something they clearly failed to do. If you find yourself or your loved ones in a case similar to this, don’t waste a moment of time, be sure to contact the best personal injury lawyer Tampa has to offer, in Mr. Charles Spinner and his team at Spinner Law Firm today.