The death of a 12-year-old girl who was struck by a falling branch while playing on a rope swing has been ruled an accident by a coroner. Brooke Wiggins died on November 9, 2024, just days before her 13th birthday, in Banstead, Surrey. The incident occurred when she fell from a rope swing attached to a large tree branch that suddenly snapped, crushing her beneath its weight, as heard at South London Coroner's Court.
Coroner's Findings
Assistant coroner Ivor Collett stated that Surrey County Council, responsible for maintaining the tree, had faced criticism regarding its tree safety inspection procedures. However, he concluded that the council could not have reasonably been expected to do more to prevent the tragedy. Mr. Collett remarked, "I see what happened on the awful day of Brooke's death as an accident which was not readily foreseeable by either of the local authorities involved. I find that they, and Surrey County Council in particular, had reasonable systems in place. Bearing in mind their duties and the risks and the public resources they have to manage, they could not reasonably be expected to have done more in a way which would have prevented this terrible accident."
Inspection History
The inquest previously heard that the tree had been inspected by Surrey County Council in May 2022. Following that inspection, a recommendation was made to remove ivy covering the tree to "aid future inspection." After Brooke's death, a crack was discovered in the tree that had not been visible from ground level. The work to remove the ivy was assigned a priority rating of five. Katherine McDonald, a council manager, testified that this rating meant the work "should" have been completed within 12 months, but there was no "concrete plan." The council has a formal policy to remove rope swings within seven days of discovery, typically removing at least 15 per year.
A re-inspection was scheduled for May 2024 but did not occur due to prioritization of other inspections, the inquest heard. Gordon Carson from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) testified that the council provided no evidence of a system to flag overdue inspections or records explaining why the May 2024 inspection was deferred. Additionally, there was confusion over land ownership: while Surrey County Council owned and maintained the tree, the land belonged to the London Borough of Sutton.
Aftermath and Family Reaction
Following the accident, a serious incident group decided to "monolith" the tree—reducing it to just a trunk—even though it was otherwise considered healthy. The council manager confirmed that Brooke's family was not invited to join the internal group deciding the tree's future, as the council deemed it "purely administrative" and feared it would be "insensitive."
The coroner told the inquest that there was "no sound evidence that a re-inspection by May 2024 would have revealed either a dangerous crack or a rope swing." Mr. Collett rejected criticism of the council's inspection regime, stating, "A criticism made in this case of Surrey County Council has been that its inspection regime was deficient. However, I do not make that finding. I accept the need to prioritise tree inspection works. This is not the same statutory territory as highway inspection regimes, it is far more nuanced and must be far more reactive and flexible, especially given the resources available and the huge number of trees involved in the Surrey CC estate."
The inquest also heard that a potential measure to prevent Brooke's death could have been advisory notices warning against rope swings between May 2022 and May 2024. Mr. Collett rejected this, citing a lack of evidence that a rope swing would have been discovered during that period and noting that "it is doubtful that vigorous children and teenagers would take much notice of warning signs."
The assistant coroner concluded that a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report was "not warranted" as "there is a sufficient system already in place." He paid tribute to Brooke's family, saying, "They have provided a voice for her when she has been unable to speak for herself. Brooke was plainly a light that shone in their lives, and while that light shone far less than half as long as was its due, it clearly shone more than twice as brightly."
The official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest with traumatic asphyxia. Emergency services took between 90 minutes and two hours to free Brooke using specialist equipment. Two brothers, Edward and Patrick Delaney, who were found by Brooke's friends, attempted to lift the branch and performed resuscitation before paramedics arrived.
Brooke's mother, Claire Etherington, described her daughter as a girl who loved dancing, art, singing, and photography, noting that she "never went anywhere without her eyelashes on." Her father, Lee Wiggins, expressed his devastation, stating, "If only people had done their job properly... Brooke would still be here."
Terence Herbert, Chief Executive of Surrey County Council, said, "I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Brooke Wiggins. We have played a full part in the inquest proceedings and note the coroner's conclusion that this was a tragic accident."
