The confirmed fatality count from the catastrophic flash flooding that swept through a Texas Hill Country campground has increased to 44 people, including four children, according to recently submitted court filings. The disaster, which unfolded during the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, along the overflowing Guadalupe River, devastated the HTR TX Hill Country RV Park and Campground near the community of Ingram.
The updated figure surpasses previous fatality estimates and identifies the riverside campground as the single deadliest location during the regional weather disaster. In total, 136 individuals lost their lives across multiple Central Texas counties during the severe storm system, meaning that nearly one out of every three casualties occurred within the confines of this single recreational vehicle resort.
The mounting death toll has fueled intense legal action against the businesses responsible for owning and operating the property. Four separate civil lawsuits have been initiated against the resort's management and ownership entities, with plaintiffs accusing the defendants of severe negligence, gross negligence, and wrongful death. Two of the cases have been formally consolidated and are slated to go before a jury next summer in Kerrville.
The legal pressure on the resort continued to mount with the most recent complaint, submitted on August 24 by a woman who experienced the devastating loss of five family members spanning three consecutive generations. Like other plaintiffs, she contends that management failed fundamentally in its duty to prepare for and alert guests to the impending environmental disaster.
Among those killed was 63-year-old Jeffrey Kent Ramsey of Lewisville, whose remains have still not been recovered despite extensive search efforts. Court documents recount a harrowing scene in which Ramsey made desperate final phone calls to leave voicemail messages for his children, expressing his love as floodwaters rose around their camper. In the background of the recordings, his 46-year-old wife, Tanya Ramsey, could be heard screaming in terror before both were swept away.
The legal filings also detail the loss of law enforcement and public safety personnel who were vacationing at the park. Jayda Floyd, a 22-year-old juvenile probation officer from Ector County, and her 23-year-old fiancé, Odessa police officer Bailey Martin, were swept away from their RV and drowned. Martin’s 46-year-old father, Bobby Martin, and 44-year-old stepmother, Amanda Martin, also perished in the rushing waters, prompting lawsuits from surviving relatives.
Other victims identified in the wrongful death litigation include Robert Leroy Brake Sr., 67, and Joni Kay Brake, 66, both residents of Abilene. Lawsuits were also brought on behalf of Kerrville residents Richard Pagard, 71, and Carol Andrews, 65; Midland couple Cody Crossland, 45, and Shellie Crossland, 50; and San Antonio residents Linda Bason, 78, and her 57-year-old daughter, Deana Hillock.
The lawsuits further recount the deaths of an entire family from Coldspring: 55-year-old Jeffrey Wilson, his 45-year-old wife Amber Wilson, and their 12-year-old son, Shiloh Wilson. In addition, claims have been filed regarding the drownings of William Bruce Ferguson III, 82, and Penny Ferguson, 76, of the Odessa area, illustrating the wide geographic reach of families affected by the disaster.
Another couple caught in the deluge, 72-year-old Steve Edwards and his wife Marilyn Edwards of San Angelo, were staying at the grounds when flood currents hit their vehicle. Steve Edwards was carried away inside the RV and lost his life, while Marilyn Edwards sustained physical injuries while trying to escape the torrent. She and her surviving children are now seeking damages in court.
The force of the Guadalupe River completely reshaped the landscape, tearing cabins and tiny homes straight from their foundations while washing away scores of trailers, motorhomes, and personal vehicles. Filings describe the aftermath as having reduced the once-bustling vacation property into a desolate and barren wasteland, underscoring the extreme kinetic power of the flash flood.
A central premise of the lawsuits is the allegation that campground operators disregarded critical weather warnings. Meteorologists and authorities began issuing severe alerts on July 2, 2025, two full days prior to the deadly surge. Plaintiffs argue that resort personnel had approximately 20 distinct opportunities to assess the imminent threat, initiate safety protocols, and execute an orderly evacuation before the river crested.
Court records allege that the alerts were received across various tiers of company leadership, including on-site managers, regional supervisors, and corporate executives. Despite receiving notification between 2:30 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. that nearby properties were undergoing emergency evacuations, campground staff allegedly failed to take prompt action to roust sleeping visitors or deploy emergency measures.
According to the lawsuits, the resort's first direct emergency communication to visitors did not occur until 4:49 a.m., when general manager Ilana Callahan sent out a mass text message regarding evacuation orders. Plaintiffs argue this notification came far too late, as water levels had already risen to impassable heights, effectively trapping guests inside their vehicles and cabins without any safe exit route.
The ownership and operating groups have forcefully pushed back against the claims. A spokesperson for the RV park issued a public statement maintaining that the allegations lack merit, while emphasizing that the widespread flooding across Central Texas was an unprecedented catastrophe and offering condolences to all the victims and their families.
In legal filings seeking to dismiss or limit liability, defense counsel for Callahan and property operator Blue Water Development argued that the campground never represented itself as having 24-hour on-site staffing. The defense stated that visitors agreed to assume responsibility for their personal safety, noting that Callahan had completed her shift around 6:00 p.m. the evening before the flood and was not contractually bound to provide constant overnight protective oversight.
(0)