'Beautiful' girl, 12, dead in tragic park swing accident - 'Should have been removed'

'Beautiful' girl, 12, dead in tragic park swing accident - 'Should have been removed'Brooke Wiggins died just days before her 13th birthday when she was hit by a falling branch while playing on a rope swing that 'should have been removed'CommentsNewsChristopher Mallett15:31, 22 Apr 2026Updated 15:40, 22 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesBrooke Wiggins tragically died when she was crushed by a tree branch(Image: Claire Etherington/Facebook)A "beautiful and caring" 12-year-old girl died when she was hit by a falling branch while playing on a rope swing which "should have been removed" from a tree six months earlier, an inquest heard.‌Brooke Wiggins died days before her 13th birthday on November 9 2024 in Banstead, Surrey, after the impact of the branch caused a fatal injury, South London Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday.‌The inquest heard the tree Brooke had been swinging from, maintained by Surrey County Council, had been inspected in May 2022 and was due for re-inspection in May 2024, which did not take place.‌Acting on behalf of Brooke’s father Lee Wiggins, Christian Weaver said that had the inspection been carried out, any rope swing found on the tree should have been removed, “as per policy”.Representatives for Surrey County Council said expert evidence shows an inspection may not have achieved a “material different outcome”.In a statement read by assistant coroner Ivor Collett on behalf of Brooke’s mother, Claire Etherington, she was described as a "beautiful, fun, caring and loving girl” who had “the most incredible way of lighting up every room she went into.‌"She was always surrounded by the people who loved her, and it’s easy to see why – she gave so much love back,” her mother said.View 2 ImagesBrooke Wiggins was killed by a branch that snapped from a tree (Image: Facebook)Brooke loved dancing, art, singing and taking photographs. She took pride in expressing herself, and “never went anywhere without her eyel...