Parents file wrongful death suit in Cypress Boy Scout's death

Elijah Knight Elijah Knight Photo: Family Of Elijah Knight Photo: Family Of Elijah Knight Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Parents file wrongful death suit in Cypress Boy Scout's death 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The parents of a Cypress Boy Scout said they have filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia for the 14-year-old’s killing after severe weather caused a tree to fall on his tent during a camping trip.

Elijah Knight died on June 25 during the outing at Bert Adams Scout Camp in Covington, Ga. Knight’s parents allege in the lawsuit that the Boy Scouts of America and Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which runs the camp, ignored weather warnings and failed to direct their son and other Scouts to shelter.

Knight's parents, Stephen and Courtney Knight, sued the national organization and local chapter in Cobb County, Ga. on four counts, including negligence, premises liability and damages for funeral expenses and pain and suffering.

The Knight family hopes to use the lawsuit to enforce better safety standards at the camp, according to a news release.

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“Having joined the horrible club of parents who have lost a child, and especially the community of parents whose child died in a scouting event, we hope to make systemic safety improvements that will preserve and protect the lives of many other children in the future,” Stephen Knight said in a news release. “We hope to see a new level of safety standards, so no other family has to go through the same anguish.”

The Houston Chronicle has reached out to the Boy Scouts of America for comment. After Knight's death, the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America released the following statement:

"This is a very difficult time for our Scouting family," said CEO Tracy Techau. "We offer our deepest condolences to the victim and his family, and we will support them in any way we can."

The complaint alleges that the Boy Scouts ignored official weather advisories, including a severe thunderstorm warning that was in effect at the time the tree fell. The teen, who was also a troop instructor, was instead outside in a canvas tent among a storm that brought strong winds, lightning and hail, according to the complaint.

The camp is accused of “breaching the duty of ordinary care by failing to follow Boy Scouts of America policies and practices,” the complaint reads. Leaders at the camp also failed to trim or remove trees as necessary at the camp, Knight’s parents claim.

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The lawsuit described some of the moments before Elijah Knight’s death. He was allowed to leave a designated shelter area with a friend and walk to the campsite. The camp didn’t sound the alarm, according to the complaint, and Knight was allowed to stay inside his tent as large tree limbs began falling around them.

Multiple trees fell and crushed tents, including Elijah’s, as well as an aluminum and wood table. The tree fell on the teen at 3:41 p.m., and he died at 4:03 p.m., according to the complaint.

The parents are asking for an unspecified amount of damages for funeral and burial expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, fright, shock, terror, and other necessary expenses.

Elijah Knight was a distinguished honor roll student at the Horizons Gifted and Talented Program at Spillane Middle School, his parents said. He was hoping to become an Eagle Scout, was a troop instructor, and had just been inducted into the Order of the Arrow. He was an inventor, a saxophone player, a cross-country runner and volunteer who hoped to become an environmental engineer. He had two younger siblings.

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“Elijah was kind, accepting, intelligent and vivacious,” Courtney Knight said. “He was inquisitive and inventive and intended to use these innate talents to improve the world.”