Looking into the legal questions that could emerge from fatal rock slide

The rock slide that killed two children at a regional park on Wednesday could have legal reverberations.

Authorities warn visitors that "some of the conditions and locations within the Lilydale Regional Park area are hazardous." Park officials require fossil hunters, whether working alone or in groups like the school field trip involved in the accident, to get a permit. Last year, officials issued 417 permits. Most of them went to school groups.

MPR News quoted Matt Saam, director of public works and parks for West St. Paul, as saying, "This type of accident is really unprecedented within our park system ... Specifically in Lilydale Regional Park, there have been no reported accidents or injuries ... that have resulted in a claim against the city in the past five years."

The Daily Circuit speaks to a local attorney about legal questions arising from the accident and possible claims available to families.