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Boy, 3, Killed by Falling Monument at Playground
23 Jun
Summary
- A three-year-old boy died after a monument fell on him at a park.
- His family filed a lawsuit alleging the monument was not safe.
- The lawsuit names several construction companies as defendants.
A family has filed a lawsuit seeking emotional damages following the tragic death of their three-year-old son, Kaleb Ortega. Kaleb sustained fatal injuries on April 1 when a monument at Rooks Park in Walla Walla, Washington, collapsed on him. He was at the park with his father and five-year-old sister when the incident occurred.
First responders transported Kaleb to the hospital where his mother, a nurse, was working. He succumbed to his injuries there. His parents, Claudia and Miguel Garcia, have sued several companies involved in the monument's design and construction, alleging it was not "reasonably safe" and lacked adequate warnings.
Rooks Park, operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, was closed for two weeks following the tragedy. The monument honored Captain Albert H. Rooks and the USS Houston CA-30. The GoFundMe page established for the family described Kaleb as a joyful boy who loved to play and explore, especially with his older sister.
The lawsuit, filed in Walla Walla County Superior Court, names Boulder Designs, Boulder Designs Franchising LLC, Border Magic, Builders FirstSource Inc., American Rock Products, Wenzel Nursery, Neil Binder, the Binder marital community, and Double T Construction Ltd. as defendants. The family is seeking damages for the severe emotional distress endured by Kaleb's father and sister at the scene, and by his mother at the hospital. As of the lawsuit's filing on May 12, the defendants had not yet responded.
