Lilly Angel Rodgers Was on a Family Outing When a Hidden Branch Pierced Her Chest

On a summer day in 2025, 11-year-old Lilly Angel Rodgers had gone to a muddy area near Plymouth in England together with two friends and several adults.

Lilly was described as an active girl with a great interest in surfing, climbing, camping and paddling, among other things. She was playing with her friends on a muddy slope while the adults were nearby and had the children within sight.

But suddenly, a terrible accident occurred.

When Lilly crawled down the slope headfirst, she hit a sharp branch hidden beneath the mud. The branch penetrated her chest cavity. Lilly stood up, clutched her chest and gasped for breath before collapsing in the mud.

The adults on site quickly tried to reach her and call for help. Lilly then needed to be transported from the muddy area in order to receive CPR.

It took around 40 minutes to get her back to solid ground, but her life could not be saved.

The Branch Damaged One of the Heart’s Most Vital Vessels

A forensic examination later revealed how serious the injury was. The sharp branch had damaged the pulmonary artery, causing Lilly’s heart to stop.

Forensic pathologist James Garvican at Royal Cornwall Hospital described the injury as extremely unlucky and concluded that it was not survivable.

He explained that a very small difference in where the branch struck could have led to a completely different outcome.

“This was an injury that was not survivable,” the forensic pathologist stated during the inquest.

Following the investigation, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly senior coroner Andrew Cox concluded that Lilly’s death was an accident.

He noted that there was nothing suspicious about the incident and that Lilly and her friends had played at the same location many times before. The adults had also kept watch over the children and ensured they remained within sight.

“Lilly slipped onto a branch with a sharp point that had been covered by the mud,” Cox stated during the inquest.