California has been experiencing a lot of trees snapping and falling and it has been reported that at least four people have been killed for the past 16 months from the incidents. One of those killed was a 16-year-old teen and his family has filed a lawsuit against the city.
The teenager was from Oakland and was climbing a tree in December of 2015. ABC News reported that the lawsuit was filed on Monday by the parents of the teen, Jack Lewis.
The tree was said to have been marked for removal as it was already dead or it was close to dying. However, city officials failed to remove the tree as they were only able to excavate it after the death of Lewis.
The father of Lewis, Michael, said in a statement that it was difficult to get through Christmas without their son who was crushed by the fallen tree. The lawyer of the family noted that the tree would have been cut sooner but many other trees were being monitored by arborists at the time.
ABC 7 News reported the tree that Lewis climbed was located at Lake Merritt near Fairyland. A memorial at the hillside near Lake Merritt has been made to remember Lewis for being adventurous. Lewis went there last December to celebrate a friend's birthday party.
Lewis and other friends climbed the tree when it snapped and crushed the teen. Meanwhile, the area was said to be popular for tree climbing as the tree tops show a great view of the sunset.
For the other people killed in California due to trees falling and snapping, it was reported in August of last year that two teens in Yosemite died after an oak branch fell on their tent. A year later, a woman in San Francisco was injured and was paralyzed after a tree branch fell on her while she sat on a park bench.
In December 2015, a student at Oakland Technical High School was climbing a tree with his friends. A limb broke and it crushed his head in front of his friends.
Just last Saturday, a 61-year-old woman, the mother of the bride, was killed when a large eucalyptus tree fell while wedding party guests were taking photos after the ceremony. This took place at a California park. Take a look at the video below for more news regarding the falling trees in California.
