Story perspectives

Parents Sue Over Fatal Rooks Park Monument Collapse

6/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

Miguel Ortega and Claudia Garcia sued Boulder Designs and Double T Construction Ltd. in Walla Walla County Superior Court after 3-year-old son Kaleb Ortega died when a monument fell at Rooks Park on April 1.
Complaint alleges monument was top-heavy, unstable and poorly anchored, a 2019 Eagle Scout project.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed and fenced the park, removed the monument, and noted that defendants have not responded as of June 17, leaving a 20-day deadline.

History

Historical Context

On June 29 1995 the five-story Sampoong Department Store in Seoul collapsed, killing 502 people after Lee Joon’s illegal removal of support columns and addition of a fifth floor weakened the flat-slab design. The disaster followed the 1994 Seongsu Bridge failure and prompted South Korea to adopt stricter building-inspection laws, reshaping national construction oversight.

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Story summary

Miguel Ortega and Claudia Garcia sued Boulder Designs and Double T Construction Ltd. in Walla Walla County Superior Court after 3-year-old son Kaleb Ortega died when a monument fell at Rooks Park on April 1.
Complaint alleges monument was top-heavy, unstable and poorly anchored, a 2019 Eagle Scout project.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed and fenced the park, removed the monument, and noted that defendants have not responded as of June 17, leaving a 20-day deadline.

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