A pensioner's determination to park her car correctly led to her death after she broke her leg in a "bizarre" accident, an inquest heard.

Retired shop assistant Daphne Fishpool, 76, died in hospital four days after she was knocked to the ground by her car door.

Widower John Fishpool, 70, a retired local government officer, of Dering Road, Herne Bay, told the inquest they planned to have Sunday lunch at the Prince of Wales pub in Hoath on May 20.

He described what happened next as "bizarre".

Mrs Fishpool decided to park in Maypole Lane and reversed into a spot, but she was not satisfied she had left the wheels straight and insisted on correcting them.

She opened the car door and leaned inside, but as she put the key in the ignition, the car "appeared to jump backwards" and the door knocked her to the ground.

She was taken to hospital, where it was found she had suffered a fracture to the neck of her left femur.

The operation was delayed until May 22 because she was on Warfarin for an irregular heart beat.

The day after surgery, she became drowsy and her blood pressure was not recordable and she became short of breath.

Doctors believed initially she might have suffered a stroke.

She died on May 24 and a post mortem examination revealed her death was due to septicaemia and pneumonia following the femur fracture which had been repaired.

The inquest at Canterbury heard there had been no evidence Mrs Fishpool was suffering from a chest infection on admission, and hospital tests the day after the operation revealed her chest was clear.

Pathologist Dr Salim Anjarwalla said the pneoumonia could have been due to immobility following the operation.

Mr Fishpool questioned the speed with which the pneumonia set in as his wife had only been immobile for less than two days after the operation.

Dr Anjarwalla said the condition sometimes developed rapidly.

Miss Cobb recorded a verdict of accidental death.

She said: "It is such a shame that she died as a result of trying to do something so simple."