This browser does not support the Video element.
Family sues Seattle after teen's deadly fall at Gas Works Park
The family of a teen who died after falling from a tower at Gas Works Park is now suing the city of Seattle, ordering it to tear down the ladders and other climbing structures around the towers.
SEATTLE - The family of a teen who died after falling from a tower at Gas Works Park is now suing the city of Seattle.
Attorneys for Mattheis Johnson's family say they're still heartbroken over the loss of the 15-year-old back in July.
What they're saying:
In the recently filed lawsuit, the family is demanding that the city tear down the ladders and other climbing structures around the towers.
"This family is devastated by this. It happened right in their community," said Karen Koehler, the Johnson Family's attorney. "He was just a creative, bright, spirited kid, he loved to play the ultimate frisbee."
The towers are left over from an old gasification plant that was closed in the mid-50's and still contain old structures that people can climb.
"They serve no purpose other than to act like a pied piper to children or youth," said Koehler.
Koehler says the lawsuit is not asking the city to tear down the main towers, which would remain, only the ladders, catwalks and other apparatus that allow people to climb up the towers.
"It’s in a bureaucratic mess," said Koehler.
The lawsuit states that Seattle Parks studied the structures and ladders before securing emergency funds to fix the problem, even coming up with a diagram with plans for removal.
"The towers, the plans you see from the city, they removed all the little catwalks. It will look exactly the same from a distance," said Koehler.
Dig deeper:
The lawsuit states that in 2012, another young man, Luke Voss, was also killed after falling from the towers.
The city also released its own list of over a dozen people who were either killed or injured in relation to the structure.
"The city has determined there is three deaths that we know about," said Koehler.
Despite that, the lawsuit states that city efforts to remove the climbing structures were blocked by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Landmark Review Board, which opposed the change.
"It’s the parks and neighborhood departments that are currently fighting over this," said Koehler.
FOX 13 reached out to the parks department and the department of neighborhoods, along with the city attorney's office for comment.
The city attorney's office responded Wednesday saying it had received the complaint and was reviewing it.
Spokesperson Tim Robinson says the city will respond to the complaint in the course of court proceedings.
"The family is not doing it for a dime. This is to force an action. This is not to force a payment. This is to force the city to do its job, period," said Koehler.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Microsoft Azure outage disrupts Alaska Air, Hawaiian Airlines systems
Washington food banks see more traffic as SNAP benefits set to end
Seattle groups gear up to help Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
Kirkland, WA company creating attainable housing one motel at a time
Air traffic controller union at SEA Airport amid shutdown, missed paychecks
Amazon to slash 14K corporate jobs in latest cost-cutting move
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from a lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Mattheis Johnson, the City of Seattle, the Seattle City Attorney's Office and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.