A SPRIGHTLY 80-year-old pensioner died two weeks after falling face-first on to a concrete step outside her home, an inquest in Minehead was told on Thursday. Josephine Keir, of Winnocks Mead, Brockwell Lane, Wootton Courtenay, had been running back up the drive of her home, in a bid to stop her automatic 4x4 crashing into the garage, when she tripped and fell. West Somerset coroner Michael Rose said Miss Keir's good health possibly contributed to the accident as she most probably ran towards the vehicle rather than simply walking after it. He was told Miss Keir was a keen short mat bowls player, enjoyed line dancing and attended a local keep fit class. Initially, she made a good recovery from surgery to injuries she sustained in the fall on February 9. But 14 days later she suffered a fatal heart attack caused by a blood clot in her lungs. Mr Rose said the clot was a result of deep vein thrombosis probably caused by a lack of movement following her operation. "It was a very sad way for the deceased to end her life as she was a very active woman," Mr Rose said as he recorded a verdict of accidental death. Earlier, neighbour Thelma Hirons had told the inquest she and her husband had comforted Miss Keir immediately after the accident. She said that, before going into Miss Keir's house, she noticed the pensioner's Toyota Rav 4x4 had "backed into the garage", denting the garage door and damaging the vehicle's driver's side door so badly that it would not close. Miss Keir was seated in the kitchen holding tissues to her face. Her husband, Ken Hirons, was applying wet clothes to her face as she was "very sweaty". The couple decided to call an ambulance as they believed Miss Keir had broken her nose and were concerned that the soft tissues around her eyes were very swollen and full of blood. Mrs Hirons said Miss Keir was fully conscious throughout the journey to Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, and had told her what had happened before the fall. Mrs Hirons said: "She said she had taken the car out of the garage and had got out and thought she had put the car into 'park'. "She went to open the double gates to get out of the drive when she saw the car reversing and ran towards it to try and stop it, but she fell." Miss Hirons said Miss Keir was "quite fit" and had been on her way to the village hall to play short mat bowls when the accident happened. Miss Keir's brother Godfrey confirmed the chain of events, saying his sister had told him she had fallen "flat on her face on the doorstep". The inquest was told a police officer called to the house found the car had been left in 'neutral' which meant it would have been able to roll down an incline or be pushed. Mr Rose said he could only assume Miss Keir had stopped the car with a view to opening the gates but had left in 'neutral' and not 'park' as she had thought. He said: "The vehicle went backwards into the garage and struck forcefully into the driver's door. "Miss Keir was aware of what was happening and she rushed towards the car. A less fit woman would have walked, but she either strode out or ran. "She was taken to Musgrove where she was operated on and originally made a good recovery. "She then became unwell and had a cardiac arrest due to a lack of movement which caused deep vein thrombosis."