Lawsuit Filed Over Camp Tawonga Death

Tuolumne County, CA — A lawsuit has been filed following the death of a camp counselor at Camp Tawonga.

The Jewish youth camp is located in Tuolumne County, just outside of Yosemite National Park. As reported previously, 21-year-old Annais Rittenberg was killed on July 3rd when a tree crashed onto power lines and camp benches. Four additional camp employees were injured.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Rittenberg’s parents beleive that the camp’s arborist and PG&E’s tree contractor were negligent. The family argues that the tree was in a dangerous area, and the inspectors should have known that it was weak. They filed a lawsuit yesterday in San Francisco against PG&E and the camp’s arborist.

The tree broke an estimated 32 ft. from the ground, and investigators initially stated that it appeared to be a “freak accident.”