A 12 year old girl tragically lost her life after a tree branch snapped while she was playing on a rope swing, leaving her trapped under the fallen branch for up to two hours, an inquest has heard.
Brooke Wiggins was enjoying time with friends when the horrific incident occurred as the branch gave way. Assistant coroner Ivor Collett emphasised the importance of understanding what transpired, stating it was “a tree that any normal child might look at and think it was a tree for playing on.”
The pre-inquest review into Brooke’s death on 9 November last year revealed that Surrey County Council owned and should have maintained the tree. However, complicating matters, the land where Brooke fell was actually owned by a different local authority, the London Borough of Sutton. The news emerges after mum dies after being electrocuted while holding charging phone in bath.
Emergency services were summoned to Grove Place near the junction with Carshalton Road in Banstead, Surrey, after Brooke became trapped by the fallen tree. It took between 90 minutes and two hours to free her using specialist equipment.
During a pre-inquest review hearing at South London Coroners’ Court in Croydon, Mr Collett disclosed that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had conducted an investigation, alongside tree experts from Surrey County Council. Brooke’s mum Claire Etherington and other relatives were present in court to hear Mr Collett say: “What this inquest will really be about is the role of Surrey County Council in respect of the ownership and maintenance of the tree. The accident itself and death occurred on land owned by the London Borough of Sutton.”, reports the Mirror.
“The tree was growing on land a few metres away owned and maintained by Surrey County Council. The inspection regime and maintenance falls to Surrey County Council.”
And he added: “There is no suggestion that Brooke and her friends were doing anything wrong.
“It was public land. There was a bridleway they walked along to get to it. It’s not as if they clambered over a fence to gain access to land they were prohibited from.”
Brooke’s friends called for assistance and brothers Edward and Patrick Delaney arrived at the scene, but were unable to lift the branch off her themselves.
Brooke sustained fatal crushing injuries and passed away.
Mr Collett explained that police bodyworn camera footage would be too distressing to show in court.
“It’s so upsetting to think of a 12-year-old child in this situation,” he added. “It’s the most terrible thing for any family to endure. We owe it to Brooke to investigate properly and allow a conclusion to be fully informed.”
An examination of the tree recommended it be ‘monolithed’, which involves removing all of its branches.
That work has not yet been undertaken in case further investigations are required, a Surrey County Council representative confirmed.
However Mr Collett stated that work on the tree could now proceed.
There have been numerous fatalities caused by council-owned trees in recent years.
Lukasz Costazza, 30, was killed after being struck by a deteriorating tree in 2015 at Low Hall Nature Reserve in Waltham Forest which belongs to Waltham Forest Council. Madia Kauser, 32, tragically lost her life in Witton Country Park in Blackburn on August 11 while out walking with her husband and two children.
In a heroic act, she pushed her daughter out of the way of a falling tree, only to be struck herself. Phil Riley from Blackburn With Darwen Council stated that nothing could have been done to prevent this tragic incident.
In another unfortunate event just weeks ago, a homeless man was killed when a branch fell onto his tent in Revoe park, Blackpool. Additionally, seven year old Leonna Ruka from Dagenham, East London, suffered a fatal head injury during a family day trip to Southend-on-Sea, Essex, on June 28 when a tree collapsed on her.
A group of up to 50 people attempted to lift the tree after it trapped five children underneath. The incident is currently under investigation by Essex Police and the Health and Safety Executive.
A full inquest into Brooke’s death will take place next year.