In the wake of the devastating floods that struck Texas on July 4, resulting in the tragic deaths of 25 young girls and two teenage counselors at Camp Mystic, families of the victims have taken legal action against the camp and its owners. The catastrophic flooding that engulfed the camp, located near the Guadalupe River, has sparked outrage and sorrow across the community and beyond. The recent lawsuit filed in a state court in Austin represents a significant step by the families seeking accountability and justice for their lost loved ones.
The lawsuit, submitted on Monday, alleges that Camp Mystic’s operators failed to take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of campers as life-threatening floodwaters rapidly approached. According to the legal complaint, the camp prioritized financial considerations over the well-being of the children and staff. A particularly disturbing claim within the suit is that a groundskeeper was instructed to spend over an hour evacuating equipment, while the girls and counselors housed in cabins closest to the Guadalupe River were told to remain inside as the floodwaters surged and ultimately overwhelmed the property.
The families of five campers and the two teenage counselors who perished have come together to hold the camp accountable. Their lawsuit asserts that the camp knowingly housed children in cabins situated in flood-prone areas to avoid the costs associated with relocating them, effectively putting profit before safety. Moreover, the suit accuses the camp’s management of failing to create or implement a safe evacuation plan, despite state regulations mandating such preparations. Instead, the camp maintained a policy requiring campers and counselors to stay in their cabins during emergencies, a decision that proved tragically fatal.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include Camp Mystic itself, affiliated entities, and the camp’s ownership, which encompasses the estate of Richard Eastland, the camp owner who also lost his life in the flood, along with his family members. This legal action is not isolated; another lawsuit bearing similar accusations was filed on the same day by the family of Eloise Peck, another camper who died in the flood. Both suits were lodged in Travis County.
In response to the lawsuits, Camp Mystic’s legal counsel expressed sympathy for the families’ losses but disputed several claims made in the filings. Jeff Ray, representing the camp, emphasized that the floodwaters were unprecedented in scale and speed, far exceeding any previous events in the area. He asserted that the surge was sudden and unexpected, and that no adequate warning systems were in place locally to alert the camp or the community in time to evacuate safely.
The tragic events unfolded in the early hours of July 4, when fast-rising floodwaters rushed through the camp’s low-lying areas before dawn. The Guadalupe River, usually at a manageable level, rose dramatically from 14 feet to nearly 30 feet within just one hour, submerging cabins and sweeping away people caught in its path. This rapid flooding was part of a wider disaster that claimed at least 136 lives across the region, raising urgent questions about preparedness and emergency response.
Compounding the tragedy was the fact that many local officials were either asleep or out of town when the flood struck, limiting immediate response capabilities. Although the camp’s leadership had been monitoring weather conditions beforehand, it remains unclear whether they received or acted upon an urgent warning issued by the National Weather Service, which had triggered emergency alerts on phones in the area. This ambiguity has deepened the pain and frustration of the victims’ families, who continue to seek answers about what went wrong and why more was not done to protect their children.
Camp Mystic, a longstanding summer camp established nearly a century ago in 1926, has faced renewed criticism amid plans to reopen next summer. Many families and community members have expressed outrage at the idea of the camp resuming operations without significant changes to address the safety failures that led to such a catastrophic loss of life.
Among those seeking justice is Ryan DeWitt, whose daughter Molly was among those who perished. DeWitt described the lawsuit as a crucial step toward finding peace amid the grief. “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,” he said. His words echo the sentiments of many families determined to ensure that no other children or counselors suffer a similar fate.
The heart-wrenching testimonies from the families of the victims before Texas lawmakers have played a pivotal role in driving legislative change. In the aftermath of the tragedy, state officials have enacted a series of new laws aimed