Claim Is Filed in Death Caused by Christo Umbrella

The family of a Camarillo woman killed last year by a Christo umbrella uprooted in high winds near Lebec has filed a claim accusing Kern County officials of failing to predict the potential dangers of the huge environmental art display.

Lori Keevil Mathews, 34, died Oct. 26 when gusty winds ripped one of the 488-pound yellow umbrellas from its moorings near a Kern County road and sent it tumbling down a hillside into a crowd of spectators. The 20-foot-tall umbrella knocked Mathews into a boulder, killing her instantly.

Since Mathews’ death, which prompted the immediate dismantling of all 1,760 umbrellas that Christo erected in the Tejon Pass near Gorman, her family has been negotiating a financial settlement with the Bulgarian artist.

Those discussions are continuing, and the claim against Kern County is just a procedural step to protect the family’s right to sue later, Los Angeles attorney Darold D. Pieper said Wednesday. He added that Kern County would be sued only if negotiations with Christo broke down.

“If we are able to satisfactorily resolve the matter with Christo, the claim against Kern County will not be pursued,” he said, declining to specify what a satisfactory resolution would be.

Christo’s attorney, Scott Hodes, refused to comment on discussions between his client and Mathews’ family.

The claim, filed late last month, charges that Kern County officials “failed to supervise the operations at the site in a safe manner; failed to require special precautions to prevent the risks of harm inherent in the exhibition . . . and failed to warn individuals of the hazardous conditions at the site.”

Kern County officials denied any negligence.

“We don’t feel there is much likelihood for county exposure,” said Robert Woods, chief deputy Kern County counsel. “They had a registered civil engineer on the project, and we think that is where the problem lies.”