A FATHER-OF-ONE died from a blood clot caused after he fractured a leg trying to jump over a puddle, an inquest heard.

The family of 54-year-old Stuart Duncan, of Wildair Close, Darlington, spoke of their shock following an inquest into his death. 

His wife Karen told coroner Andrew Tweddle that he did not initially think his injury was serious enough to go to hospital.

Mr Duncan, who worked in IT for North Yorkshire County Council in Northallerton, fractured his lower left leg while trying to to jump over a puddle walking home from Darlington train station with a friend on December 23, the inquest in Crook heard.

He went to hospital on Christmas Day and a temporary cast was fitted - but he died on January 10 after he suffered blood clotting brought on by the fracture.

Mrs Duncan described how he arrived home after suffering the injury put his foot up put ice packs on it.

“I tried to get him to go to hospital, but he thought it was just swollen," she said.

“We put a rubber bandage on it and left it a few days but it was still bad on Christmas Day so my dad took him to hospital to have an X-ray and that is when they found out it was broken.”

Mr Tweddle recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Addressing Mrs Duncan he said: “It is one of those things following an accident; trying to jump over a puddle.

“His friend managed to do so, but your husband didn’t and sustained a fracture.

“Then we have had this most unexpected outcome some time later.

“It all comes back to the leg itself because that was the trigger event.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Duncan’s brother Michael, 63, of Gilberdyke, East Yorkshire, said: "We feel like he has been pulled from us.

“One minute he’s talking to you on the phone about some injury to his leg, next thing he is dead.

“It seems ludicrous in the 21st century that someone can die from a broken leg.”

Mr Duncan’s niece, Beverley Smart, 32, added: “We are all just completely in shock. The whole family just can’t believe it.

“We are a close family and there is now a part missing; a part missing for all of us.”

Mr Duncan also leaves his 21-year-old son Stephen.