John Holland DeSilva, of Texas Road, St. David's, died of complications less than two months after the fall.

The court heard that on October 19, last year, Mr. DeSilva fell off his property wall while he was drilling.

His nephew Larry Pitcher said: "While he was removing the top layer of brick from his wall, the drill slipped and when he tried to catch it, he fell off the wall landing on his chest.

"By the time I got down to the road he was standing up and I told him I was going to take him to the hospital.'' King Edward VII Memorial Hospital pathologist, Dr. John Winwick, said that on December 2, 1993, Mr. DeSilva died of "pulmonary embolism, deep vain thrombosis, bilateral pneumonia, prolonged respiratory failure with assisted ventilation, and fractured ribs from the fall.'' Investigating Police officer P.c. Winslow Thorpe said Mr. DeSilva was divorced and had two children.

"He was a truck driver for a construction company. Injuries from the fall appear to be accidental.'' Dr. Edward Schultz reported that Mr. DeSilva had a great deal of pain in his chest.

He said he had difficulty breathing and an operation had to be performed to remove secretions from his chest. Afterwards, he had little activity and began deteriorating.

Coroner the Wor. Charles-Etta Simmons said she was satisfied by the evidence given by the witnesses, and ruled that Mr. DeSilva's death was by misadventure.