Home / Disasters and Accidents / Tragedy Strikes: Girl, 12, Killed by Falling Tree Branch
Tragedy Strikes: Girl, 12, Killed by Falling Tree Branch
6 May
Summary
- A 12-year-old girl died after a tree branch fell on her while on a rope swing.
- The tree was due for inspection weeks before the fatal accident.
- The coroner ruled the death an accident, stating authorities couldn't have reasonably prevented it.
A 12-year-old girl, Brooke Wiggins, died tragically in Banstead, Surrey, after a tree branch fell on her while she was on a rope swing with friends. The incident occurred just days before her 13th birthday, leaving her family devastated.
The inquest revealed that the beech tree, managed by Surrey County Council, was due for a safety inspection in May 2024, but this check never occurred. Recommendations to remove ivy, which concealed a crack on the tree, were also not acted upon.
Friends who were present described the rope swing as feeling unsafe. Emergency services worked for up to two hours to free Brooke from the heavy branch, but she sustained fatal crush injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
While the coroner ruled the death an accident, stating that authorities could not have reasonably been expected to do more to prevent it, Brooke's father expressed his grief and questioned why proper procedures were not followed. Surrey County Council argued that an inspection might not have yielded a different outcome.
Brooke was remembered by her parents as a beautiful, fun, and loving child with immense potential. The council later reduced the tree to a trunk following the tragedy.
