An 18-year-old boy was injured when he fell 10 meters in a Titan missile silo in Colorado.

It is already having legal consequences for the injured adult in the group. The six minors have been passed on to their parents. Whether there will also be legal consequences for them and for the injured young man remains to be seen. That’s according to Dutch news (NOS) and one American source (KKTV).

USA Today, by contrast, reports that the 18-year-old injured person was charged with criminal trespass (3rd degree criminal mischief was how a third news source put it) and that seven minors were handed over into the custody of their parents, with possible charges pending.

When owners of a terrain do what they can to keep youngsters out to protect them against hazards that are present on the terrain, liability can shift. That’s the textbook case this may turn into. It has to do with whether it’s reasonable to hold a party liable for damages if that party has done enough to prevent the damages. These youngsters crossed a threshold.

(What’s more, these eight youngsters may have been on military territory. Doesn’t sound like it, though.)