A CORONER recorded an open verdict into the death of a 49-year-old Darwen woman.

Vivienne Worden, of Greenway Street, died in the critical care unit at the Royal Blackburn Hospital on August 14.

MORE TOP STORIES:

During an inquest in Blackburn, coroner Michael Singleton said he was unable to confirm whether the training officer took an accidental overdose of paracetamol.

The inquest heard Miss Worden felt unwell for five days and was taken to hospital.

She suffered a short cardiac arrest while there and later died from multi-organ failure.

The inquest also heard she had been taking paracetamol after breaking her toe in June.

Giving evidence, pathologist Dr Richard Prescott, who carried out a post-mortem examination, said: “The liver showed a severe degree of fatty change and that is something that can be due to the affects of alcohol over a long period of time.

“There was necrosis of zones two and three, which means the liver cells were dying or in the process of dying.

“I took some blood samples and paracetamol was found in a small amount.

“The cause of death was multi-organ failure.”

Coroner Michael Singleton said it was possible a large amount of paracetamol had been taken a while before Miss Worden’s death and, although the drugs would no longer be in the system, the damage could have been done.

He said: “I have insufficient evidence to be able to say this is a drug-related death or to say it is natural.”