After the tragic incident on May 11, when a heavy branch of a dry palm tree fell on Richard V. Romero, 17, at 462 20th Street in Los Angeles, the doctors gave him only a 1 % chance of walking once more.

" Mother, I can't feel my legs. " Did I ever be able to move again? " are the statements the young Latino male frequently repeats from his base in the hospital where he is being treated for, and for whom it seems as though his dreams of owning a design company have come to an end.

According to doctors Luis and Michael Carrillo, members of the Romero family, on May 11, Mario V. Romero and his son Richard were visiting a friend who lives between Trinity Street and Maple Avenue where the clean and rotten palm tree fell.

As a precursor to a civil financial petition and claim for damages, the attorneys filed a formal state with the town of Los Angeles.

Lawyer Luis Carrillo stated at a press conference on the steps of City Hall that" we would not be here if this president's company and its crew had looked for the plants that were rotting and were about to fall.

“That heavy tree [the palm tree] fell on 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 to know if they are going to take care of the trees now."

Richard V. Romero is still in the hospital. He underwent four therapies.

The parents of the minor, Mario V. Romero, reported that he went to see a friend and offered to lend a welding machine on the day of the tragedy. He said," I simply heard the sound and the hand came against us. " " I also threw my brother to the side and fell to the floor. I was hit in the neck and shoulder, and I also feel pain because it nearly killed both of us.

The ailing family referred to the hospital's lack of courage.

I have a terrible feeling for my child. I didn't imagine him acting this way, said Mario Vctor. What I ask for is that he receives fairness.

Your child continues to endure pain in the clinic. Since May 11th, he has had four activities, and he continues to suffer," said attorney Luis Carrillo. This family [ Romero] should not be suffering like they are right now, but they continue to do so because the city is more focused on the mayor's office and all the employees.

He further stated that the city really address safety issues in the communities rather than thinking about the community or any trees or palm trees on the street that can slide on minors, as in the case of Mario Vctor and his son.

Mayor Karen Bass has some reservations.

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 helps create a safer and 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-paved 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, Urban Forestry Division (SFD) staff, 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 broke'

Rosa Romero, mother of the injured young man, mentioned with tears in her eyes that her son is still lying in a hospital bed 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 hospital 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 [Wednesday] he had surgery on his feet because his fingers are all broken. He has no movement from the waist down. All of this is very difficult for my son, for 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 a lot of dreams. He told me mommy, I want "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.

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