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Inset: Christopher Kelly (The Oregonian/Kelly Family). Background: The area in Oregon where Christopher Kelly died while planting trees (WBKO).
The mother of an Oregon student who tragically passed away while fulfilling a volunteer requirement for school has reached a settlement after initiating a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
As reported by The Oregonian, documents from the court reveal that Portland’s Central Catholic High School and the nonprofit group Friends of Trees have settled with Sarah Kelly, the mother of Christopher Kelly, who sued them for $29 million. The exact settlement amount remains undisclosed.
According to a press release from law enforcement in 2021, Christopher died in November of that year in Multnomah County. He was hit by a falling tree limb in the vicinity of Thousand Acres Dog Park at the Sandy River Delta in Troutdale, near Portland. The accident occurred while he was completing volunteer hours necessary for graduation, when a large piece of a black cottonwood tree fell from 52 feet above, striking him on the head.
The lawsuit claimed that after being hit, Christopher continued to plant trees but ultimately succumbed to his injuries at the scene once emergency responders arrived.
In 2024, Christopher’s mother filed a lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court, accusing Central Catholic High School and Friends of Trees of negligence. The complaint argued that they failed to protect the students from adverse weather conditions, despite forecasts predicting thunderstorms. It highlighted the lack of protective helmets for volunteers and the failure to move them to safety at the sound of thunder, as recommended by both the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to the filing, there were strong wind gusts and thunder reported 1 mile away from where the volunteers were planting trees. It reportedly noted that a group of students who were not properly dressed for the weather were huddled under a tent, and an arborist with Friends of Trees went to her car to get out of the elements. Christopher, who was a freshman, was allegedly planting trees with about 20 other students.
“Despite lifesaving efforts, the teenager did not survive their injuries,” police said in the 2021 press release.
Christopher’s obituary says he “died unexpectedly while he was volunteering.”
In a statement released after his death, Central Catholic said, “Our community was deeply saddened by the tragic death of freshman Christopher Kelly in 2021 and continues to share our sympathy with the Kelly family.”
According to Christopher’s obituary, the teen had been in foster care up until 2010, when he joined his adoptive family.
In addition to asking for donations to help “kiddos with learning differences,” the obituary asks that people who read it “please tell someone a dad joke” seeing as “Chris loved telling dad jokes.”