A NORTH Yorkshire woman sustained massive head injuries after falling backwards off a camel while on holiday in Egypt, an inquest heard.

Garden designer Valerie Hewitt, 61, of Wiganthorpe, near Malton, died 11 days after the freak accident, which happened on September 28 last year.

North Yorkshire east coroner Michael Oakley read a statement from Mrs Hewitt's husband, Brian, at the inquest at Scarborough County Court.

Mr Hewitt described how they had set off at 5.30pm on camels with their guides from Giza, a district of Cairo, to see the Giza Pyramids at sunset. He said the party came to a small town square and had to wait because there was a funeral procession. Mr Hewitt said his wife's camel appeared to buck and she fell off backwards, landing on her head and shoulders.

"I can only think because we stopped she wasn't holding on properly," Mr Hewitt said. "When we got to her she was just staring up with a pool of blood round her head."

Mr Hewitt said there was a struggle to get his wife to hospital through the Cairo traffic. Doctors said she had suffered a brain haemorrhage and carried out a successful operation.

However, Mr Hewitt said at some point his wife had suffered a stroke and she died on October 8.

In a statement read at the inquest Abdul Farouq, who was in charge of Mrs Hewitt's camel, said: "It was an accident. The camel shied and jumped and caused her to fall off. She fell off because the camel was frightened by traffic."

A post mortem examination revealed that she died as a result of massive head injuries.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

Updated: 10:36 Wednesday, April 28, 2004