The San Antonio Zoo’s new front entrance opened late last year. Credit: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Zoo

Another Texas family has sued the San Antonio Zoo, seeking compensation for injuries allegedly sustained when a rotted tree branch fell on a group of spring breakers on March 15, 2023.

The lawsuit, filed last month by Hidalgo County residents Miguel Mena and Thelma Judith Robles in state District Court in San Antonio, maintains that the family’s three children sustained “severe and permanent injuries” in the incident.

“The safety of our guests, staff, and animals is always the zoo’s priority,” the zoo said in a statement to the Current. “This was an unfortunate accident that was not caused by any action or inaction by the San Antonio Zoo or its employees. We look forward to demonstrating that through the legal process.”

The petition argues that San Antonio Zoo officials knew the tree limb was a danger but didn’t take any action to remove it. However, the document doesn’t elaborate on that claim or the extent of the injuries to the plaintiffs’ children, all minors.

Ruy Mireles, the McAllen-based personal injury representing the family, was unavailable for immediate comment.

The plaintiffs are seeking $1 million in damages.

The suit is the second filed against the San Antonio Zoo and Alamo City Arbor Care Inc. following the 2023 accident, which reportedly injured seven people.

In the first suit, filed two months after the branch collapse, a Temple family sought more than $1 million in damages. That suit maintains the family’s 7-year-old daughter was in a coma for several days and sustained “life-threatening” injuries.

That zoo settled that claim for an undisclosed amount. However, Alamo City Arbor Care Inc. chose not to, and a trial is set for September.

In an interview with the Express-News, Alamo City Arbor Care owner Jon Chalker said his company was only hired to clean up the branch after it fell.

However, the Temple family’s petition argues suit that the zoo hired the tree-service business to perform routine maintenance and inspections before the accident.

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This article appears in Dec 26, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...