Families Sue Camp Mystic for Negligence After Deadly Texas Flood
In a heart-wrenching aftermath of the July 4th disaster at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, the families of seven young girls and camp counselors have filed a lawsuit that paints a devastating picture of preventable tragedy. The 75-page wrongful death petition filed on November 10th in Travis County District Court alleges that camp owners prioritized financial interests over the safety of campers, resulting in the loss of 27 lives when floodwaters from the Guadalupe River engulfed several cabins. The lawsuit, brought by attorney R. Paul Yetter, represents the families of Anna Margaret Bellows, Lila Bonner, Chloe Childress, Molly DeWitt, Katherine Ferruzzo, Lainey Landry, and Blakely McCrory – children whose summer adventure turned into their parents’ worst nightmare. Behind the legal language lies the unimaginable grief of families who sent their daughters to what they believed was a safe summer retreat, only to never see them return home.
According to the lawsuit, the tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours when Camp Mystic allegedly ignored critical warning signs and safety protocols that could have saved lives. The timeline begins at 1:14 a.m. when the National Weather Service issued a “life-threatening flash flood” warning for the area. Rather than immediately evacuating campers from low-lying areas, camp directors Richard and Edward Eastland reportedly spent critical time between 1:45 a.m. and 2:13 a.m. moving equipment. By 2:20 a.m., counselors were reporting water entering cabins but were allegedly instructed to remain inside. The document claims that while five cabins were eventually evacuated to the Rec Hall between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., six others – including Nut Hut, Chatter Box, Wiggle Inn, Giggle Box, Twins, and Bubble Inn – were left behind in harm’s way. The most heartbreaking moment came between 3:35 a.m. and 3:51 a.m., when Richard Eastland’s SUV was swept away during a rescue attempt at Bubble Inn, resulting in the drowning of all 13 campers and two counselors inside that cabin. Meanwhile, at Twins Cabin, eleven young campers lost their lives after allegedly being told to stay put because “the water would go back down.”
The lawsuit points to a particularly troubling pattern of negligence, claiming Camp Mystic was well aware of the flood risks associated with its location on the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country, an area with a history of deadly flash floods. The filing cites a 1990 interview with then-director Richard Eastland, who reportedly told the Austin-American Statesman, “I’m sure there will be other drownings. People don’t heed the warnings.” Despite this acknowledged danger, the camp allegedly maintained cabins in flood-prone areas to avoid relocation costs and had a written policy instructing campers on Senior Hill to “stay in their cabins” during floods, falsely claiming that “all cabins are constructed on safe, high locations.” The families’ legal team argues that the girls could have safely evacuated to higher ground within 60 seconds if given proper instructions instead of being told to remain in their vulnerable cabins.
The families’ anguish was reportedly compounded by the camp’s actions following the disaster. According to the petition, camp administrators misled families in the hours after the flood, telling them their daughters were merely “unaccounted for” even after floodwaters had receded and the tragic outcome was apparent. Adding salt to these fresh wounds, the lawsuit references Camp Mystic’s decision to announce plans to reopen for the next summer season while one camper, Cile Steward, remained missing. This callous prioritization of business continuity over basic human compassion exemplifies what the lawsuit characterizes as the camp’s pattern of putting “profit over safety” – a mentality that allegedly led to housing young girls in known flood-prone areas and failing to create or follow mandatory evacuation plans required by state regulations.
The 725-acre riverside camp, nestled in the picturesque Texas Hill Country, had long been a beloved summer tradition for many families. Parents entrusted their children to Camp Mystic’s care, believing the institution’s decades of experience meant their daughters would be protected from foreseeable dangers. Instead, the lawsuit alleges gross negligence, premises liability, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, arguing that camp leadership ignored multiple warnings from weather alerts, staff concerns, and its own historical experience with flooding in the region. The petition details how counselors allegedly pleaded to evacuate girls from low-lying cabins as waters rose but were instructed to “stay put because that’s the plan” – a decision that plaintiffs claim directly resulted in the loss of young lives that could and should have been saved.
As the legal process unfolds, the families are seeking more than $1 million in damages, including compensation for wrongful death and exemplary damages, and have requested a jury trial. But no legal remedy can truly address the profound loss these families have suffered – birthdays that will never be celebrated, graduations that will never be attended, and futures that will never unfold. The lawsuit represents not just a quest for accountability but also a desperate attempt to ensure such a preventable tragedy never happens again. As one community mourns twenty-seven lives cut short on what should have been a night of summer camp memories, the legal battle highlights the critical importance of prioritizing safety protocols, emergency planning, and responsible decision-making at youth camps and similar institutions nationwide. Behind each name in this lawsuit is a family forever changed by loss – parents, siblings, and extended family members who will carry the weight of July 4, 2025, for the rest of their lives.
