Inquest Probes Girl's Death from Uninspected Tree Branch

A 12-year-old girl died after a falling branch struck her while she played on a rope swing attached to a tree that local authorities had failed to inspect as scheduled, an inquest heard.

Brooke Wiggins passed away on November 9, 2024, in Banstead, Surrey, just days before her 13th birthday. The South London Coroners Court was told during the hearing on April 22 that the tree, maintained by Surrey County Council, had last undergone inspection in May 2022 and was due for reexamination in May 2024, but the follow-up never occurred. The rope swing, which Brooke was using at the time of the incident, should have been removed six months earlier under council policy, according to a lawyer representing her father, Lee Wiggins. Christian Weaver argued that a timely inspection would have identified and eliminated the hazard.

Representatives from Surrey County Council, however, presented expert evidence suggesting that even if the inspection had taken place, it might not have led to a materially different outcome. The inquest, which continues, is examining the circumstances surrounding the fatal injury from the branch's impact.

Brooke's mother, Claire Etherington, described her daughter in...