La Jolla Family Sues San Diego After Falling Tree Kills 4-Year-Old Ronan Kerr — Parents Allege City Negligence in ‘Preventable’ Park Tragedy

A La Jolla, California family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of San Diego, claiming municipal negligence led to the death of their 4-year-old son, Ronan Kerr, who was fatally struck by a falling eucalyptus branch at Villa La Jolla Park in June.

According to the lawsuit, Ronan was playing near his father, Cathal Kerr, and 7-year-old brother when a 34-foot branch plunged 60 feet from above, striking the child and his father. Ronan later died after seven days in the hospital, while his father sustained a brain injury, broken bones, and facial lacerations.

The Kerr family alleges that the tree — and others in the area — showed clear signs of decay and neglect, accusing the city and two contractors of failing to remove or properly maintain dangerous trees despite a history of similar incidents dating back to the 1980s.

“The tree’s branches and limbs were large, elongated, heavy, angled, and improperly maintained to the point that it was obvious to a trained eye that the tree would catastrophically fail,” the suit states.

The lawsuit cites at least 30 prior incidents of falling branches in San Diego parks, including fatal cases in 1983 and serious injuries in 2013, to argue that the city was aware — or should have been aware — of the risk.

The family’s suit calls for San Diego to remove or manage all hazardous eucalyptus trees in public spaces, enforce regular inspections, and publish maintenance reports online for public accountability.

“My love for him is just so immense… there’s not really a second that goes by that he’s not on my mind,” said Cathal Kerr. “We’re broken. We’re broken.”

The City of San Diego has not yet commented on the pending litigation.