79-year-old died after being stung by hornet

A HORNET sting killed a Robertsbridge pensioner this summer, an inquest in Hastings heard last week.

Vivienne Salter, 79, of Browns Farmhouse, Battle Road, died on August 19 after being stung on her finger six days earlier.

Mrs Salter was taken to Hastings Conquest Hospital on August 13, where she failed to regain full consciousness.

A statement from her husband of 53 years, Michael, who witnessed the aftermath of the sting, was read out by Coroner Alan Craze.

The inquest heard Mr Salter arrived home at 8.45pm on August 13 to find his wife in the kitchen, when she told him she had been stung and had taken an antihistamine tablet to calm the swelling.

The couple, who have two children, then sat down and Mrs Salter was feeling unwell. Shortly after, she collapsed.

Mr Salter called paramedics and they worked on Mrs Salter for a long time before taking her to hospital.

She had a large rash on her chest and was suffering from anaphylactic shock.

Mrs Salter had recently discovered a hornets' nest in one of the cavities in their house and was stung when her hand was in contact with the lower half of their stable door.

Mr Salter told the Courier after the inquest: "Everybody has been very nice throughout the whole ordeal. The paramedics were fantastic."

The couple had not had any previous problems with hornets.

Consultant pathologist at Hastings Conquest Hospital Dr Mark Boxer, said the case was the first of its kind he had seen in all his years as a doctor.

He said: "We maybe only have 100 cases of this per year in the country."

Mr Boxer had not noticed anything remarkable on Mrs Salter's body, but said he found evidence of cardiac arrest.

Mr Salter questioned if the cause of his wife's death could have been in any way psychological, as the previous night Mrs Salter had referred, jokingly, to an anaphylactic shock.

Mr Boxer and Mr Craze dispelled this notion, saying she died of a cardiac arrest due an anaphylactic shock, caused by the hornet sting.

Mr Craze recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said it was difficult to record a traditional cause of death in this unusual case.

He also added: "I would like to end this inquest by offering my own personal condolences to you (Mr Salter)."