'I used to ride bike under that doomed tree - it could've killed me decades ago'
She was "a shining star who brought happiness wherever she went and she met".
Leonna Ruka's death has rocked the nation. A seven-year-old girl enjoying a family day out in the park was pronounced dead within hours - after a tree collapsed on her. Concern has grown in the week since, not least because Southend-on-Sea City Council is yet to confirm when the cedar in Chalkwell Park was last inspected.
Residents across the Essex city have expressed their anger and sadness since the tragedy, which happened on Saturday afternoon. Adam Ramet, a 54-year-old dad, used to ride his trike under the huge cedar - and fears he could have been killed by it years ago. Photographs taken as early as 1919 are believed to show wooden struts that, more than a century ago, were propping up the much-loved tree's vast horizontal limbs.
Mr Ramet, who was in the park on Saturday and heard Leonna's screams, said: "The cedar has been a big strong presence that's just always been there, it sits in all our childhood memories. For this terrible tragedy to have come from that tree is almost unthinkable. People are grieving for the little girl who lost her life and shocked because they know it could so easily have been them or their own kids."
It means Southend-on-Sea is consumed with grief and sadness. Speaking to Mail Online, Mr Ramet added: "People are deeply affected by what happened... The struts have been there as long as I can remember, and you could see very clearly that it was the top of the tree that had sheared off sideways and come crashing down."
Four other children were injured in the horror on Saturday. Families had gathered in the Victorian park to enjoy the warm weather last week, many having picnics while their children played. Leonna's family had travelled to see relatives. Although Leonna's family are from Dagenham, east London, the community has rallied in Southend-on-Sea. Flowers have been left near the doomed scene.
Experts have this week indicated that while fatalities from fallen trees are mercifully rare – five or six every year across the UK according to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures – a hot summer's afternoon is the most likely time for such a tragedy. Arboriculturalists have pointed to a phenomenon called Sudden Branch Drop (SBD) – the unexpected collapse of mature tree branches during a prolonged dry period where there is no other obvious defect or cause.
But due to the police investigation, Southend-on-Sea City Council is yet to confirm when the cedar in Chalkwell Park was last inspected or whether its position next to a main footpath meant it required extra checks. Essex Police said that no arrests or charges have so far been made and that "our enquiries continue".
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