This article looks at a reported settlement involving Lindsay Ward and Garret Daley, who were injured when bleachers partially collapsed at the Kendall County Fair Grounds rodeo arena in Boerne, Texas, and touches on the legal and official responses from the Thomas J. Henry law firm, the Kendall County Fair Association and local authorities including the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office and the City of Boerne.
Lindsay Ward and Garret Daley are listed in court papers as the pair who have reached a settlement with the Kendall County Fair and several other defendants, according to filings reviewed by investigators. They are represented by the San Antonio-based Thomas J. Henry law firm, though the formal terms of any agreement have not been released to the public. Online dockets also show a jury trial tied to their claim is tentatively set for June 22 in the 451st District Court.
The named defendants include Kendall County Fair Association President Shane Boerner along with multiple companies connected to him, according to the legal paperwork. The filings are part of a cluster of cases that sprang up after the partial collapse at the county fair’s rodeo arena on Aug. 31, 2024. Those events left a dozen people hurt and spurred separate lawsuits, including one filed by the family of the woman who later died.
On the day of the incident, authorities said 12 people suffered injuries when the bleachers partially gave way during the Labor Day Weekend rodeo, and of those, eight were transported to a local hospital for treatment. One of the hospitalized victims, 79-year-old Vera Smith, died six days after the collapse, a loss that became the focus of a wrongful-death claim among the cases filed in the 451st District Court. Court records from January 2025 show three separate lawsuits tied to the incident were active, reflecting multiple injured attendees and at least one family pursuing damages.
City inspection records show three inspectors visited the Kendall County Fair Grounds on Aug. 30 for a general pre-fair walkthrough, and the official report stated no violations were found during that visit. The inspection checklist covered carnival rides, food vendors, fire extinguishers, electrical layouts, the exhibit hall and exit signage, but the report also notes the walkthrough did not include an inspection of the bleacher structures themselves. That distinction has been a key point as plaintiffs’ attorneys and local officials parse who had responsibility for what, and when.
In March 2025 the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office announced it would not pursue criminal charges related to the collapse, explaining there is “insufficient evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt related to this matter.” The City of Boerne issued a statement around the same time indicating that no city-issued building permits had been applied for covering the bleachers or for a newly installed platform. Those administrative gaps and the DA’s conclusion have shaped the legal landscape, leaving civil claims as the primary route for victims seeking compensation.
Despite the absence of criminal charges, the civil docket remains active and complex, with multiple plaintiffs and defendants and overlapping claims about negligence, maintenance and permit compliance. Ward and Daley’s settlement, once officially detailed, could affect the timing and scope of other cases, but as of now the pending jury setting and the other suits continue to move through the 451st District Court schedule. Attorneys on both sides have filed the usual procedural paperwork while the court evaluates trial readiness and any remaining discovery disputes.
The community impact of the collapse has been significant in Boerne and across Kendall County, prompting renewed interest in event safety, crowd structures and local permitting practices. Families of the injured and the bereaved have pursued civil remedies in hopes of addressing medical bills, lost income and other harms, while fair organizers and associated companies face questions about oversight and responsibility. As plaintiffs’ lawyers and defendants negotiate or prepare for trial, public attention stays fixed on how local institutions will respond and whether town, county and event officials will alter inspection and permitting processes going forward.
