A council has been fined £150,000 after a pregnant woman's baby was killed when a tree branch fell on her car.
The branch from a tree fell on Liz Stear's white Audi as she was driving her two children to school in Wirral, Merseyside, at 7.45am on November 10, 2016.
It crushed her stomach and trapped her in the vehicle, according to The Echo.
The mum was 36 weeks pregnant at the time and was taken for an emergency caesarean section at Aintree hospital.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of doctors, her baby girl Lucia Stear passed away the next morning.
Wirral Borough Council today, July 20, admitted its failure to ensure the safety of its trees under section three of the Health and Safety Act.
Craig Morris, prosecuting, told Liverpool Magistrates' Court how the branch smashed into Ms Stear's car, hitting the right side of her abdomen and trapping her in the vehicle.
Firefighters cut the branch and released her, but she told paramedics she could not feel her baby moving and was experiencing abdominal pains.
At 10.01am that morning Lucia Stear was born - but the court heard as a result of the trauma had little chance of survival.
Following the tragic death of Lucia on November 17, 2016, Ben Welling of the council's contractor Mancoed explained that the issue was with the horse chestnut trees which were showing signs of the infection bleeding canker.
The infection had spread to such an extent that 25 of 35 trees had to be felled in one section of the park.
Mr Morris stated that between 2003 and 2016 there was no formal system in place to check trees, although council officers thought about it but failed to do so.
Judge Lloyd ordered the council to pay £100,000 and £49,363.04 in costs as well as a £170 victim surcharge.
