A MAN died after a mystery fall while on holiday in the Dominican Republic, an inquest heard.

Joiner Alan Sweeney,47, and his wife Margaret were on their way up the stairs to bed when he fell for no obvious reason, banging his head on the tiled floor.

He was rushed to hospital bleeding from a head wound but efforts to save his life were hampered because of medication he was receiving.

Mrs Sweeney, of Heys Lane, Blackburn, told the inquest that her husband had a mechanical heart valve fitted and was prescribed warfarin to keep his blood thin.

A scan at the hospital showed that there was bleeding into the brain but because of the warfarin the blood was not clotting. Mr Sweeney was taken to intensive care but died shortly after.

Mrs Sweeney told the inquest that they had been staying at the Costa Del Mar hotel complex and on the night of the incident had enjoyed an evening meal before going to the poolside bar.

She did not drink because of diabetes but said her husband had some red wine with his meal and was drinking rum and coke at the bar where they chatted with people they had met on holiday.

Shortly after midnight they retired to bed and Mrs Sweeney was in front as they went up stairs.

She heard a noise behind and looked round to see her husband fall backwards, banging his head on the floor.

Mrs Sweeney said there was no problem with the steps and her husband had been wearing training shoes which would have given him a good grip.

She said that despite his medical condition Mr Sweeney had never suffered dizziness or fainting episodes.

Mr Sweeney had been conscious after the fall and had asked what had happened.

The medical cause of death provided by the authorities in the Dominican republic was a brain haemorrhage and coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death.