The doctors treating Richard Víctor Romero, 17, give him just a 1% chance that he will be able to walk again, after the tragic incident on May 11, when a heavy branch of a dry palm tree fell on him and his father, at 462 20th Street in Los Angeles.
“Mom, I can’t feel my legs. Will I be able to walk again?” are the phrases that the young Latino man repeats most from his bed in the health center where he is hospitalized, and for whom the dreams of owning a construction company seem to have collapsed.
On May 11, Mario Víctor Romero and his son Richard were visiting a friend who lives between Trinity Street and Maple Avenue where the dry and rotten palm tree fell, as described by lawyers Luis and Michael Carrillo, representatives of the Romero family.
The attorneys delivered a formal claim to the city of Los Angeles, as a prelude to a civil monetary lawsuit and claim for damages.
“We would not be here if this mayor’s office and its team had looked for the trees that were rotting and were about to fall,” said lawyer Luis Carrillo, during a press conference on the steps of City Hall.
“That heavy tree [la palmera] It fell to Richard Víctor Romero and right now he is in bed recovering and the doctors don’t know if he will walk or not,” he added. “The family wants justice. One form of justice is knowing if they are now going to take care of the trees.”
Richard Víctor Romero remains hospitalized. He has had four surgeries.
Mario Víctor Romero, the minor’s father, reported that on the day of the tragedy he went to visit a friend, to whom he would lend a welding machine. “I just heard the sound and the palm came against us,” he said. “I threw my son to the side and also fell to the floor. It almost killed us both; I ended up hit in the waist and shoulder, and I still feel pain.”
The grieving parent described that he did not have the courage to go to the hospital.
“I feel very bad for my son. I can’t see him like this,” said Mario Víctor. “What I ask for is justice for him.”
“Your son continues to suffer in the health center. He has had four operations since that date.” [11 de mayo] and continues to suffer,” added lawyer Luis Carrillo. “This family [Romero] “They shouldn’t be suffering like they are right now, but they continue to suffer because the city is focused more on the mayor’s office and all the employees.”
He added that, instead of thinking about the community, any tree or palm tree on the street that can fall on minors as in the case of Mario Víctor and his son, the city should respond to security issues in the communities.
Criticism of Mayor Karen Bass
In February, Mayor Karen Bass posted on her Facebook account that “tree maintenance is a routine part of keeping Los Angeles streets safe and accessible.
Along Vermont Avenue near Exposition Park, tree trimming is helping to create a safer, more accessible corridor as the city prepares for the next big events, the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.
This publication of the “Improvement of Olympic and Paralympic runners” was criticized by all Angelenos.
“They do not maintain trees anywhere else in the city. Nor do they repair sidewalks,” wrote Michele Duarte Kilroy.
“Could we address and color all major thoroughfares with tree plastered streets? There are also many streets that need repairs/resurfacing. Fox Avenue should be a high priority,” said David Eckert.
“They should come to San Pedro and see how the pavements are raised by the huge trees. They can’t even push a stroller or a walker, without going out into the street and going around the parked cars. It’s sad,” commented Pauline Looney Kuckowicz.
For his part, Ronald Alper stated: “Every tree in this city should be trimmed to 8 feet. Every sidewalk in this city should be safe and repaired.”
The Office of Street Services (StreetsLA) is supposed to manage more than 660,000 urban trees and public roads in the city of Los Angeles.
Residents can report issues such as tree trimming, dead tree removal, pothole repair and sidewalk damage to the city.
And, according to data from Streets LA, part of the Urban Forestry Division (SFD), between May 24 and 30, 2026, a total of 428 trees were pruned in the city of Los Angeles. None were planted. A total of 25 were removed.
From July 1, 2025 to June 3, 2026, 24,445 trees were maintained or pruned and 228 were planted. A total of 1,306 were removed.
The mayor’s office diverted La Opinión’s questions about tree and palm tree maintenance to the office of city attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto because there is a lawsuit involved.
In response to the prelude to this lawsuit, the city attorney’s office said, “At this time, it appears, the city has not received the alleged lawsuit you are asking about. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending or anticipated litigation.”
‘His spine was broken’
Rosa Romero, mother of the injured young man, mentioned with tears in her eyes that her son is still bedridden in a health center without being able to move.
“I want justice for him for the city’s negligence. A palm fell on him when that should never have happened,” he said. “I don’t want it to happen to other families, to other young people because of the negligence of the city that doesn’t take care of the trees.”
“His dreams have already been broken. He tells me himself: ‘Mom, I’m not going to walk again.’ I can’t feel my feet. He is suffering a lot in the health center when that should never have happened. He was a young happy boy. He helped the whole family. Right now he is very, very physically and mentally damaged, because this is a very big trauma for him.”
Richard Víctor Romero’s mother announced that her son has suffered from bleeding in the brain, in addition to the four surgeries.
“His spine, his leg, his fingers were broken. Yesterday [miércoles] He had surgery on his feet because his toes are all broken. He has no movement from the waist down. All of this is very difficult for my son, me and my entire family. I don’t want another family to suffer the same as what we are going through. I just want justice for my son. It hurts me a lot to see a son lying there in bed without being able to move. he had many dreams. He told me mommy, I want to go to school, to university, I want to be the owner of a construction company.”
The Romero family opened a GoFundMe account to receive help and cover some of the medical costs for the care the young Latino requires: https://gofund.me/92ba2e080.
