Rope swing death a 'shocking accident', coroner says

Rope swing death a 'shocking accident', coroner says19 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJoshua AskewSouth EastFamily HandoutBrooke was killed by a large tree branchThe death of a 12-year-old girl after she was hit by a falling branch while playing on a rope swing was an accident, a coroner has ruled.Brooke Wiggins died in November 2024 after a large tree branch in Banstead, Surrey, snapped off and crushed her.The inquest had heard Surrey County Council (SCC) had failed to inspect the tree months earlier and had not carried out work that could have made inspecting safety issues easier. But Assistant Coroner Ivor Collett dismissed criticism of the council, and said Brooke's death was a "shocking accident".He said SCC, which was responsible for maintaining the tree, could not have reasonably been expected to do more to prevent what happened - "bearing in mind their duties and... and the public resources they have to manage". He also pointed to "the huge number of trees" the council was responsible for. Family HandoutBrooke Wiggins, 12, died after the branch of a tree snapped while she was on a rope swingThe inquest previously heard the tree had been reviewed by the local authority in May 2022.Removing ivy was recommended to "aid future inspection of the tree", which, after Brooke's death, was found to have had a "crack" not visible from the ground. A re-inspection was scheduled for May 2024, but this did not take place because of prioritising other inspections, the inquest heard.Terence Herbert, SCC's chief executive, said he extended his "sincere condolences" to Brooke's family and friends."We.... note the coroner's conclusion that this was a tragic accident," he said.Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.More on this storyTree work not done before swing death -...