Girl, 8, almost decapitated when tree branch smashed through car window
Little Faith Molineux almost died after a freak accident sent a tree branch crashing through her aunt's motor
AN eight-year-old girl miraculously survived after a 60ft tree branch came crashing down on the car she was in and almost DECAPITATED her.
Little Faith Molineux will go under the knife for facial reconstructive surgery on Thursday after the freak accident left her with a shattered left eye socket and cheek.
Officers who arrived at the scene said that had the little girl been an adult the vast branch would have almost certainly severed her head.
Alisha Vivien, 18, was driving her niece Faith to walk her dogs when the giant branch snapped and crushed the little Peugot 107 at 2pm last Monday.
The vehicle was completely flattened and officers said if Faith had been an adult she would "almost certainly have been decapitated" on Rugeley Road, Cannock, Staffs.
Miraculously, Alisha and her boyfriend, Nathaniel Hailey, 18, only suffered minor bruising while Faith was stuck inside the debris, dropping in and out of consciousness.
An air ambulance flew her to Birmingham Children's Hospital where medics said she had also suffered multiple fractures to her jaw and a broken left arm.
She has been heavily sedated with morphine and on Thursday part of her face will be peeled back to allow doctors to reconstruct her jaw, left cheek and left eye socket.
Her dad, Daniel, 40, and 30-year-old mum Natalie of Rugeley, Staffs., want to know why such a large overhanging tree hadn't been cut back.
Speaking from Birmingham Children's Hospital today, technical support worker Daniel said: "Faith was actually saved by how long the branch was.
"Her saving grace is that it was so big it actually took down trees on the other side of the road, which stopped it completely crushing Faith.
"She was in the back left of the car, and a branch of the branch smashed right in through that window inches above her head.
"Officers at the scene told me if she was an adult, or just a little bit taller, she would have been decapitated.
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"We want to know why on earth that tree was allowed to grow so out of control? It was five car lengths long - the size of a tree - and fell 30 feet onto the car.
"The Forestry Commission have claimed that stretch of the road was checked in the last few months and found to be fine.
"Well, I wouldn't like to be the person who wrote that report."
Daniel and Natalie, a service coordinator, were at work when they got the call and rushed to the scene.
Daniel said: "My first reaction was a feeling of shock, panic and numbness when I got the call. Natalie and I rushed there and when we arrived there was so much blood.
"A passerby Pauline Standley, who heard the sound of the tree falling and drove to help, really saved her life.
"We've heard she crawled in through a hole in the back passenger window and stayed with Faith, trying to keep her conscious as they waited for paramedics.
"She deserves a medal for what she did and we cannot thank her enough."
Faith is receiving eye drops through the night for her left eye, and although medics are confident she will regain her vision Daniel is worried about the long-term effects.
He said: "I haven't told her the exact extent of the surgery she's got to go through on Thursday - she's just starting to perk up and talk again.
"We've asked about scarring and although the plastic surgery team here are among the best in the country, we think she could be left with a three inch "V" shaped scar scar on her left check.
"I just hope other kids at school aren't cruel about it."
West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "It appears this was a case of dreadful timing. A large branch sheered off a tree just as the car was passing.
"Part of it went straight through the windscreen, narrowly missing the two front seat occupants and struck the eight year old girl in the back.
"Other road users were quickly on the scene and pulled the branch off the car which suffered considerable damage."
A Forestry Commission spokesman said: "We were sorry to hear that a car and its passengers were recently involved in an incident where a large branch fell without warning from a tree by the side of Rugeley Road.
"Our thoughts are with those travelling in the car and we hope everybody involved makes a quick recovery.
"The district forester has investigated and confirmed that no forest operations have taken place recently in this area of woodland.
"This stretch of road and all roadside trees have been checked within the last three months and no trees were identified as being at risk.
"It is not clear why this particular branch fell and the local forest team will continue to provide support and advice."
Staffordshire Police said they had not been asked to investigate the reason why the branch had fallen.
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