Inquest into death of woman hit by falling tree in Knightsbridge set to open

Date: Monday 9th January, 2017
Time: Approximately 10:30am*
Location: Court 10, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL

The inquest into the death of a 58-year-old woman killed by a fallen tree in Knightsbridge will open on Monday 9 January.

Mrs Teresita Sison, who was on her way to work as a housekeeper at the time of her death, was struck by the tree on 21 October, 2014. The tree, located on privately-owned gardens at Upper Rutland Gate, had blown down onto the footpath and road at Kensington Road, following a storm.

The police cordoned off the road but the footpath was still accessible to pedestrians. Mrs Sison began to walk under the fallen trunk to continue her journey when the tree fell further, striking Mrs Sison. She died at the scene shortly afterwards from head injuries.

At the time of her death, Mrs Sison lived in Ladbroke Grove with her husband Roberto, aged 62. Mr Sison will attend the inquest and says: “It has been devastating to lose my wife of 30 years in such a violent way. I miss her terribly and hope I finally get some answers from the inquest.”

The inquest is expected to last up to five days and will hear from a number of witnesses including the police officers in attendance on the day Mrs Sison was killed and a representative from Westminster City Council, responsible for maintaining the nearby public highway.

*Submissions will be made by the legal teams at 9:30am, these are not open to members of the public or press. As soon as these are finished, the inquest will open. This is likely to be at approximately 10:30am.

Ends

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