By Matthew Reville
Published on Fri Jul 01 11:18:44 BST 2011
Friday, 1.40pm: Stunned friends of 13-year-old Sophie Howard, who was killed by a falling tree branch in Yaxley on Thursday (30 June), were joined by concerned adults at the Middletons Road Recreation Ground in the hours after the tragedy.
After Sophie had been taken to hospital, dozens of youngsters stayed in the park during the afternoon.
They desperately used mobile phones to find out if anyone had an update on her condition.
Before learning she had died, a 12-year-old friend said: "Everyone is really upset about it, a lot of people have been crying.
"We come down here all the time and we have never seen a branch fall off a tree before."
The large sports ground has a skate park and a large grassed area.
It is popular amongst youngsters, especially during the summer months, with yesterday busier than usual for a Thursday with a number of students off due to school closures across the county.
Around the circumference of the park are a variety of large trees, which have benches placed next to them to give people the chance to sit down and enjoy the scenery.
It was on one of those benches that the teenager was sitting at the time of yesterday's tragedy.
A mother, who asked not to be named, was also in the park at the time of the incident.
The woman, whose 12-year-old son was friends with the ragic teenager, said: "I was waiting for my youngest to finish his day at pre-school, and I saw there was a lot of commotion and a branch on the floor."
Her son said: "I wasn't there when the branch actually fell, but I have spoken to other people who were.
"It was a really big branch."
A 13-year-old boy, who also knew Sophie, said that he feels all the trees around the circumference of the park should be cut down.
He said: "It is just dangerous. People always sit on the benches but I don't know if they will now this has happened, because they are all under these massive trees."
A teenager came to the park on his bike after hearing about the incident. He said: "Everyone has been talking about it and it's a really horrible thing to have happened."
Add your tributes
If you knew Sophie and want to leave a tribute, you can comment below, email matthew.reville@jpress.co.uk or via Twitter @et_reville
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Update: Yaxley teenager killed as branch falls from tree named
Friday, 1.30pm: The teenage girl who died after being hit by a falling tree branch while spending the day with friends at a park in Yaxley yesterday (30 June) has been named as Sophie Howard.
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
my heart goes out to her friends and family, she was such a young girl whose life was taken from her, i live in yaxley and it has had such an effect on everyone, its a horrible feeling knowing that it happened to such a pretty and well loved girl.
Such a tragic accident and an end to a life that hadn't even started. Sympathies and thoughts to all familiy and friends of this young girl R.I.P.
This is terrible. The trees are normally maintained very well and have been there for years. My thoughts are with her family and friends
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