A 74-YEAR-OLD woman who broke her hip when she was knocked down by her playful dog died four days after her operation.

But a Bradford inquest was told that Marjorie Oldroyd, of Mirfield, died of a naturally-occurring condition that was not caused by the surgery.

While in Dewsbury District Hospital Mrs Oldroyd developed an extremely rare condition, gastric volvulus, a twisting of the stomach.

This led to heart failure.

Dr Duncan Parry, a surgeon at the hospital, said: "It was a spontaneous event, pure bad luck."

Coroner Roger Whittaker said neither the hospital nor any doctors were at fault.

"One can imagine how they must have felt. There was potential for criticism," he said.

"In the light of the independent evidence, I take the view that there was nothing that could have been diagnosed with certainty."

The inquest was told Mrs Oldroyd was walking her dog, Max, in Knowle Park, near her home on Water Royd Lane, last October.

A statement from her stepdaughter, Jean Firth, said: "She told me that Max had come bounding up to her as he normally did to say `hello', but he knocked her flying. She said she heard a snap."

Mrs Oldroyd was taken to hospital and had a screw put in her hip.

The inquest heard she seemed to be recovering, then her condition deteriorated and she complained of severe stomach aches and vomiting.

She was found dead in the morning of her fourth day in hospital.

Mr Whittaker recorded a verdict that Mrs Oldroyd had died of natural causes.