A RETIRED school teacher who suffered from Parkinson’s disease died after piercing his lung in a fall, an inquest heard.

Peter Smith, of Priors Way, Oliver’s Battery, fell at his home on January 15, just days after being discharged from hospital.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard the fall fractured a rib which pierced his left lung, causing heavy internal bleeding. This resulted in a high pressure build up in his chest.

Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri confirmed this caused most of his organs to shut down.

It was heard Mr Smith had signed a do-not-resuscitate order prior to his fall.

Hampshire Chronicle:

The 68-year-old, who was a keen triathlete, had to retire from his job as a teacher in 1996 because of a nervous breakdown.

However, his wife Diane Smith said that he was misdiagnosed and was actually suffering from Parkinson’s – a disease that he was not diagnosed with until 2000.

Following his diagnosis, a scan of the brain revealed Mr Smith had a large benign tumour which doctors originally believed to be the cause of his Parkinson’s. Due to their unrelated nature, doctors dubbed him “the unluckiest man in the world”.

However in 2012, during another brain scan, it was found that the tumour had turned malignant and he went on a course of chemotherapy before it was removed.

In January, Mr Smith was admitted to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester because of “uncontrollable shakes”.

His wife said he was not allowed home until he could stand on his own, due to the amount of falls he had suffered.

Mrs Smith told the court: “He wanted to come home. He said he wanted to because he didn't want to die in hospital. wanted to die at home and not in hospital. I kept saying to him that he was as fit as a horse and that he should stop saying things about his death.”

She added: “He was a very fit man and I did not expect him to die the way he did.”

Senior coroner Grahame Short concluded a verdict of accidental death.