The parents of a six-year-old girl who died after she was hit by a falling tree in her school playground say they hope lessons have been learned after a council was fined £280,000. Neil and Vikki Henderson said their daughter Ella was "so loved and had so much to give this world" after they heard how she was playing with friends at Gosforth Park First School, in Newcastle, on September 25, 2020, when a decaying willow tree collapsed.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), several other children were hit by the falling tree, but managed to escape with superficial injuries. However, Ella had to be freed by emergency services and died later in hospital.
The HSE found the tree was in a poor condition and that Newcastle City Council had failed to manage the risk it posed. The council pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law and was fined £280,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,020 at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the HSE confirmed.
