Carol Fellows, of Oxford Street, Dudley, died earlier this month from complications including an infection and lack of oxygen to the brain in what a coroner described as a 'tragic accident'.

The 67-year-old was found by her daughter, Jenny, choking in the kitchen of her home on September 6.

Miss Fellows called 999 and attempted to dislodge the toast while she waited for paramedics.

She told the inquest at Smethwick Council House: "I just feel like I could have done something to help her. She enjoyed her life."

She said she had been staying with her mother, who suffered from hyperthyroidism, asthma, cirrhosis, diabetes and schizophrenia, to help care for her.

She said: "She was in the kitchen making a piece of toast and she fell down and she called me so I went and helped her back up, and she was okay.

"I went to the toilet and I could hear her coughing, but I thought everything was okay.

"When I went in she didn't look right and I thought she was going to throw up, then her legs started to wobble and she went down.

Advertising

"I phoned 999 and they told me to try and get the blockage out and I managed to get some of the toast out."

Coroner for the Black Country Zafar Siddique said the mother was admitted to Russells Hall Hospital after Miss Fellows found her choking on some toast at around 12.40pm.

He said: "She found that the airway was blocked with a piece of toast and she had a cardiac arrest.

"No CPR was performed and she was admitted to intensive care to help her breathe and they tried to restart her heart.

Advertising

"Because she had choked, she was not breathing and oxygen did not get to her brain. She then developed a severe infection, and sadly passed away at 9pm."

Mr Siddique said the cause of death given by the doctor who conducted the post mortem was due to infection, caused by cardiac arrest which was caused by choking, and that her underlying health problems had also been a lesser factor.

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He added: "If it was not for the choking it would not have given rise to these other factors. This is a tragic accident."