Death by accident and misadventure was the Coroner's ruling at the end of the inquest into the death of Delvin Knight.

Coroner Archibald Warner on Friday said there was no evidence that anyone else caused the accident which led to Mr. Knight's death early on August 30, 1998.

The evidence was that the deceased had been drinking at clubs in Somerset on the night of August 29 and was last seen alive at the Prison Officers Club where he appeared to be happy and having a good time.

There were three other motorists on Malabar Road at the time of the accident, all of whom gave evidence at the hearing.

Mr. Warner said: "There is no evidence to suggest that cycle 599M (ridden by the deceased) was in collision or collided with another vehicle.'' The Police evidence was that Mr. Knight was travelling west towards Somerset village when, near the junction of Malabar Road and Heydon Road, he crossed the central dividing line on Malabar Road and fell off his cycle sliding across the road on its left side.

The deceased's body was found on the waterside of Malabar Road face down in the grass.

Mr. Warner stressed that "there is no evidence that other vehicles were involved''.

What was of interest to the Coroner was the medical report that followed the autopsy of Mr. Knight.

Dr. Vernon Bulls gave evidence at the hearing that there were no injuries to account for the death. The injuries to Mr. Knight were superficial and consisted of minor abrasions known locally as "road rash''.

Instead, the death was due to massive pulmonary oedema which occurred following the accident. The doctor also stated that there was a degree of alcohol in the blood and urine of the deceased.

The doctor outlined just how he thought the death took place.

He explained that after falling off his cycle, Mr. Knight sucked in his gastric juices. A chemical reaction in the stomach can cause a person to inhale these juices which then leads to suffocation.

Mr. Warner found that the deceased lost control of his cycle, fell off and the impact of his fall contributed to this unusual medical phenomenon which led to Mr. Knight's suffocation.

In the circumstances, the Coroner concluded that the deceased died by accident and misadventure. He then offered his condolences to the family of the deceased.