THE husband of a former teacher who died after falling down the stairs said he was "devastated" at losing her.
Paul Shrouder's wife of 20 years, Aileen, died after toppling down the stairs of their home in High Street, Repton.
The 60-year-old was taken to Royal Derby Hospital with serious head injuries.
Mrs Shrouder was then transferred to Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, where she underwent surgery but she died on July 28 last year.
Mr Shrouder told an inquest into her death that the couple had gone for lunch on July 22 and that he went to bed that evening some time between 8pm and 9pm.
"I ended up going to bed believing that she would follow me later," he said.
"I woke up in the early hours of the morning having heard a noise. I thought it was Aileen snoring to start with.
"I put my dressing gown on and saw Aileen's shoe at the top of the stairs and I saw her at the bottom."
Mr Shrouder told the inquest he did not know how the fall had taken place.
"I don't know what happened, that's part of the sadness," he said.
"She was the victim of a tragic accident which has wrecked both of our lives.
"We loved each other dearly."
The inquest, at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court, heard how Aileen had suffered significant problems with her back since the age of 19 and had osteoarthritis in her knee.
But Mr Shrouder said his wife was a "stout lady" who got up and down the stairs "satisfactorily". He said she had fallen previously about half a dozen times but had never been hospitalised.
Dr Andrew Hitchcock, consultant pathologist at Royal Derby Hospital, who carried out the postmortem examination, said the cause of death was craniocerebral trauma – traumatic head injuries.
He said Mrs Shrouder had suffered bruising to her face and kneecap as well as a fracture to the skull and ribs.
He added: "Falling down stairs or ending up going down stairs is capable of producing severe injuries."
Mrs Shrouder's ex-husband, Steven Twigg, and son Andrew Twigg raised concerns of domestic violence during the hearing, but deputy coroner Louise Pinder ruled that this was not relevant as the fall was unwitnessed and police had confirmed that it was not a murder investigation. She recorded an open verdict.
