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A tragic accident claimed the life of 12-year-old Brooke Wiggins when a large tree branch broke and fell on her while she was playing on a rope swing in Banstead, Surrey. The incident occurred in November 2024, and an inquest has since determined that her death was accidental. The rope swing, constructed from blue rope with a stick for a seat, gave little to no warning before the branch snapped, striking Brooke and leaving her trapped and severely injured.
During the inquest, it was revealed that Surrey County Council (SCC) had inspected the tree in May 2022 and recommended removing ivy to facilitate future inspections. Despite this, a re-inspection planned for May 2024 was postponed due to other inspection priorities. However, Assistant Coroner Ivor Collett emphasized that there was no reliable evidence to suggest that the scheduled re-inspection would have uncovered the dangerous crack in the branch or prevented the accident. He described the tragedy as a “shocking accident” and dismissed criticisms against the council, noting the extensive responsibility SCC has for thousands of trees and the limited resources available.
Brooke’s family expressed deep disappointment with the coroner’s ruling. Her uncle, Ryan Etherington, told the BBC that the family felt a lack of meaningful accountability and stressed the importance of learning lessons about public safety and tree maintenance to prevent similar incidents. Brooke’s father, Lee Wiggins, shared his grief, remembering his daughter’s interests, including boxing and doing her friends’ makeup. The inquest also heard about the emergency response, with two friends and individuals from a nearby caravan park attempting to lift the branch and administer CPR before paramedics arrived, but Brooke was declared dead at the scene.
The coroner addressed suggestions raised during the inquest about placing warning signs to discourage the use of rope swings, but he found this unlikely to be effective among active children and teenagers. While exact details about how long the swing had been in place conflicted, Collett concluded the proceedings by paying tribute to Brooke’s family. He recognized their efforts to advocate for her and described Brooke as “a light that shone in their lives,” noting that although her life was cut short, it shone “more than twice as brightly” as expected
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