Family files lawsuit against city authorities after 4-year-old son is killed by falling branch in California park

Thursday, November 13, 2025 - The family of a four-year-old boy is filing a wrongful de@th lawsuit after the boy was killed in front of his father when a eucalyptus branch fell on him in a California park. 

Ronan Kerr was struck on the head by a “large” piece of a eucalyptus tree while playing in Villa La Jolla Park in San Diego in June, according to a GoFundMe organized for his family. 

He was beside his father, Cathal, and his 7-year-old brother, Charles, when the 34-foot branch fell 60 feet down from the tree, according to a wrongful de@th lawsuit obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Cathal Kerr tried to swoop in to grab both the boys, but was unable to catch Ronan in time. The branch then struck little Ronan and his father, according to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Nov. 11, in San Diego Superior Court. 

The 4-year-old di£d after seven days in the hospital, the lawsuit said, according to the outlet. 

His father, Cathal, also suffered several harrowing injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, facial lacerations, and broken bones, the document said. 

The lawsuit, filed against the city of San Diego and two city contractors reportedly in charge of tree upkeep, claimed that the fateful branch that struck Ronan was clearly unhealthy and decayed. 

“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 lawsuit said, according to the outlet. 

The suit alleged that branches from eucalyptus trees or other trees have dangerously fallen at least 30 times since 1983, including in Villa La Jolla park, the outlet reported. 

In 1983, a 4-year-old was k!lled by a fallen branch at the entrance to the San Diego Zoo. In 2013, a pregnant woman and a man were also injured by a fallen tree at the UC San Diego campus, according to the lawsuit. 

“Eucalyptus trees in San Diego parks … were posing significant dangers to the public,” the lawsuit alleged. 

“The city’s inspection and maintenance protocols were grossly inadequate to identify hazardous trees before they failed.” 

The lawsuit seeks to have all eucalyptus trees deemed a danger to the public in parks and school yards be either removed or managed, the outlet reported. 

It also requested that trees be inspected on time and that tree inspections and risk assessments be posted publicly by the city. 

The Kerr family described Ronan in his obituary as a “lover” and a “tender soul”.

“Ronan was a bright light in the lives of all who knew him – full of heart, humor, and boundless curiosity,” his obituary read. 

“He adored his big brother and always wanted whatever he had – not just his toys, but his attention, his love, and his approval. His family was his world, and nothing made him prouder than being helpful,” his family wrote.