ST. LOUIS – The daughter of a man killed during the May 16 tornado in St. Louis has now filed a lawsuit against the city.

Deborah Patrick formally filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of St. Louis on July 1 over the death of her father, Larry Patrick.

The lawsuit claims that a tree fell onto Larry’s home during the tornado, causing the home to collapse and leading to his death.

The lawsuit accuses the City of St. Louis of failing to activate its tornado sirens and creating a “dangerous condition” in which residents did not receive audible warnings. City officials have since acknowledged issues the emergency siren system and human error in warning residents of dangerous conditions.

According to the lawsuit, Larry had previously warned the city about the tree’s unsafe condition, reporting that limbs had fallen from the tree and damaged his home within 16 months leading up to the May 16 tornado. The lawsuit alleges the tree was decaying and the city had been notified of the danger well before.

The lawsuit seeks civil damages in excess of $25,000, along with any other relief deemed appropriate by the courts.

Larry was one of five people killed when an EF-3 tornado ripped through the City of St. Louis on May 16. Dozens of others were injured and an estimated 5,000 buildings and homes were damaged.

FOX 2 has reached out to the St. Louis Mayor’s Office with a request for comment, though a spokesperson tells us the mayor’s office does not comment on pending litigation.

Deborah Patrick is being represented by St. Louis law firm Padberg Appelbaum Knepper in the lawsuit, per Missouri court records.