The wife of a tourist who was killed when a tree limb fell 30 feet and landed on him at a Big Sur campground has sued the state of California, alleging the state failed to properly care for the trees and should have known they posed a danger to park visitors.
The incident happened last Oct. 5, when Alameda County residents Atsuko Tohmon and her husband, Genji, were camping at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. According to the lawsuit filed Jan. 27 in Monterey County Superior Court, Genji Tohmon was seated at the picnic bench at their campsite when a limb from a Western Sycamore tree fell and struck him in the head, killing him.
The tree was "negligently, carelessly and recklessly maintained in a dangerous character and condition," and had an overloaded canopy, the lawsuit states.
"Any qualified professional or arborists inspecting the subject tree according to the appropriate standard of care in the industry would have noticed the dangerous condition and should have concluded said condition of the subject tree should be ameliorated," the suit continues.
The State Parks media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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