Coroner rules girl’s death in rope swing tragedy was an accident
A 12-year-old died after a tree branch snapped while she was playing in Banstead.
Last updated 3 hours ago
The death of a 12-year-old girl who was crushed by a falling tree branch while playing on a rope swing in Surrey has been ruled an accident by a coroner.
Brooke Wiggins died in Banstead on 9 November 2024, just days before her 13th birthday, after a large branch suddenly snapped and fell on her.
An inquest heard the tree had previously been inspected by Surrey County Council in 2022, with inspectors recommending ivy be removed to help future checks.
A further inspection due in 2024 did not take place because other work was prioritised.
Assistant coroner Ivor Collett concluded the tragedy was “not readily foreseeable” and said the council had reasonable inspection systems in place.
He said there was no evidence another inspection would have identified the hidden crack in the branch or prevented Brooke’s death.
Paying tribute to Brooke, the coroner said she had been “a light” in her family’s lives.