Pasadena Kidspace Children's Museum Sued Over Fallen Tree

PASADENA, CA - A lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of two of eight children injured when a tree toppled onto them near a Pasadena children's museum last summer.

Yvonne Yeung, the mother of 6-year-old twins Brandon and Bryan Li, filed the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit on behalf of her sons, seeking unspecified damages.

The complaint names the city of Pasadena and the Kidspace Children's Museum and alleges dangerous condition on public property, negligence and premises liability.

A representative for the City Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brandon suffered multiple fractures to an arm and a leg, while Bryan sustained a head injury when the tree fell about 4:30 p.m. last July 28, according to the lawsuit, which also says both children suffered psychological injuries.

The suit alleges the tree was improperly planted and maintained in a "rotten and decayed condition." The tree also was overgrown and leaning dangerously, and no barriers were in place to help protect people in the event of such a fall, the suit states.

The plaintiff alleges city and museum officials knew or should have known of the dangerous condition of the tree and had ample time to take steps to prevent the accident.

A half-dozen other children were treated at the scene and released that day.

Kidspace Museum CEO Michael Shanklin said then that the children were waiting to be picked up by their parents after attending a summer camp session when the five-story-tall pine tree toppled.

He said the tree was in a nearby park and not on the Arroyo Boulevard museum's property.

According to a city statement issued after the mishap, "Pasadena has an 'urban forest' of about 60,000 city-owned trees in parks, open spaces, along city streets and at public buildings. The city conducts regular maintenance and care for all of the city trees. The city has continued to maintain the grass, trees and vegetation in all city parks during the drought."

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock