Parents of Camp Mystic Flood Victim File Lawsuit, Allege Negligence

The devastating Texas floods of October 2023 claimed the life of a young girl at Camp Mystic, a tragic event that has now led to a lawsuit against the camp and its operators. The parents of Lilyanna “Lily” Kaye McDonald, a 17-year-old high school senior, have filed a wrongful death suit, alleging that the camp's negligence and disregard for severe weather warnings directly contributed to their daughter's death.

Lilyanna was a beloved figure, described as an accomplished student, athlete, and a role model for her younger sisters.

She was participating in an annual senior tradition at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp on the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas, when the severe weather struck. The lawsuit details how record-breaking rainfall, exceeding 15 inches in some areas, led to unprecedented flooding of the Guadalupe River, transforming the camp into a perilous environment.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Kerr County, Camp Mystic and its operators, the Louis A.

and Margaret T. Potvin Revocable Trust, failed to adequately monitor weather conditions and ignored critical warnings from the National Weather Service. These warnings, issued hours before the flooding, explicitly cautioned against the danger of flash floods, urging residents to seek higher ground. Despite these dire alerts, the camp allegedly failed to evacuate campers or implement proper safety protocols, leaving Lilyanna and others vulnerable to the rising waters.

The suit further claims that the camp's leadership had a history of downplaying severe weather threats and prioritizing the continuation of camp activities over the safety of its participants.

In the critical hours leading up to the disaster, as waters rapidly rose, Camp Mystic allegedly made minimal efforts to alert the parents of the imminent danger, hindering their ability to intervene or ensure their children's safety.

The McDonald family's attorney, Craig Eiland, highlighted the preventable nature of Lilyanna's death, stating that her passing was a direct result of the camp's "poor decision-making, incompetence, and negligence." The lawsuit seeks not only compensation for their immense loss but also aims to hold the camp accountable, ensuring that such a tragedy does not befall another family.

The emotional toll on Lilyanna's parents, Jeff and Tiffany McDonald, is immeasurable, as they grapple with the loss of their vibrant daughter and seek justice for what they believe was an entirely avoidable catastrophe.