Boy airlifted after falling from tree (From Free Press Series)

Boy airlifted after falling from tree

A 10-YEAR-OLD boy was airlifted to hospital after falling from a tree in Caldicot.

The tree was damaged by storms last week and the boy is understood to have fallen from a branch that snapped under his weight. The extent of his injuries is not thought to be serious.

An air ambulance landed at a grassy area between Durand Road and Fitzwalter Road at 4.46pm on Monday.

The boy, local to the Caldicot area, was flown to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol and it is understood that he returned home on Monday evening.

A Monmouthshire county council spokeswoman said the tree was cut down on Tuesday morning to make it safe.

She said: "The tree was damaged in the storm last week and our grounds maintenance people were informed of this.

"The tree was assessed and was found to be safer than some others in the area which were tackled first.

"This little lad managed to get access to the tree as part of it fell down."

She said the branch would have given way, regardless of whether the tree was unsafe.

One Durand Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said he had seen children climbing up the tree as high as 25ft since part of it fell down during the night of July 7.

He said: "About a third of the tree had split from top to bottom and that allowed the kids to climb up the larger section.

"One of the neighbours phoned the council about it and someone came out to look but left it as it was.

"If something was done in the first place it may have prevented the accident."

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust said a rapid response vehicle, a regular ambulance and an air ambulance were called to the scene.