A MAN died after falling down a flight of stairs and knocking himself unconscious, an inquest heard.

Stephen Anderton, 48, of Willow Street, Burnley, was on a ventilator at Burnley General Hospital for more than a month before he died.

The inquest heard he had been using crutches following an earlier fall and that he had almost certainly stumbled and fallen to his death.

In a statement read to the court, neighbour Colin Clews told the inquest he had returned home from work at about 7pm on June 5 when he heard a loud crash.

When he rushed onto the landing of the block of flats he saw Stephen lying unconscious at the bottom of the flight of stairs.

He was taken by ambulance to Burnley General Hospital where he remained in intensive care for the next month until his death on July 8.

Acting East Lancashire Coroner Richard Taylor said: "I do not know exactly how Stephen may have stumbled but the verdict is one of accidental death."