Lilly Angel Rodgers, 11, died in what an inquest described as an exceptionally unlikely accident while playing in mud flats at Wacker Quay, Cornwall. She slid headfirst down a muddy bank and a concealed branch pierced her chest, fatally injuring her heart and a pulmonary artery.

The inquest heard that the branch penetrated 7cm into Lilly’s chest and caused an unsurvivable injury; she probably lost consciousness immediately. Rescue efforts were delayed by the 40-minute helicopter flight to land, and she was later pronounced dead in hospital. The coroner recorded accidental death, noting that Lilly had been supervised and that no similar incident had occurred at the site in 40 years; warning signs have since been installed.