AN ELDERLY woman died after a blood clot developed following a broken leg.Rita Thrower, 71, of Elm Street, Ipswich, fractured her thigh bone in a fall on April 21.

AN ELDERLY woman died after a blood clot developed following a broken leg.

Rita Thrower, 71, of Elm Street, Ipswich, fractured her thigh bone in a fall on April 21. She had been at a car-boot sale in Portman Road and was returning home laden with shopping when she fell.

Mrs Thrower was taken to Ipswich Hospital where she underwent a hip operation. She was released nine days later, but died on May 23 after complications set in.

In an inquest into her death, Greater Suffolk Coroner Dr Peter Dean read a statement from Hayley Thrower, Mrs Thrower's daughter-in-law.

She said her mother-in-law had seemed in high spirits and had started regaining confidence just before she died.

But another statement from Mrs Thrower's long-term friend Jean Lockie revealed she had been badly shaken by her fall and had been largely inactive afterwards.

Mrs Thrower made a breathless phone call to Mrs Lockie on the day she died. Mrs Lockie then dashed to her flat and found her friend had collapsed and stopped breathing.

An ambulance was called, but Mrs Thrower was confirmed dead at Ipswich Hospital.

Dr Dean also read a statement from pathologist Dr Philip Judd at the Ipswich Crown Court hearing.

The Ipswich Hospital-based pathologist reported finding evidence of thrombosis in Mrs Thrower's injured leg. He said this had probably led to the development of the blood clot that killed her.

In recording a verdict of accidental death, Dr Dean said it seemed Mrs Thrower had died because of a tragic set of circumstances following a seemingly innocuous fall.