A three-year-old boy, Kaleb Ortega, died after a large stone monument supporting an informational sign collapsed onto him at Rooks Park in Walla Walla, Washington. The incident occurred on 1 April at a memorial display that had been installed in 2019 as part of an Eagle Scout project.
Kaleb’s father and five-year-old sister witnessed the boulder fall, while his mother, a nurse, was working at the hospital where he was taken by ambulance. Despite emergency treatment, he died from fatal crushing injuries.
The boy’s parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the companies involved in the monument’s design, manufacture and installation, alleging the structure was top-heavy, unstable and inadequately anchored for a public park where children could reasonably be expected to climb or play. Following the incident, the US Army Corps of Engineers closed Rooks Park, fenced off the area and later removed the monument. The family is also seeking damages for emotional distress.
