A RETIRED Southampton woman choked to death at a birthday party, an inquest heard.

Sandra Bran, 67, was celebrating at a posthumous birthday party for her friend who had recently passed away, when she collapsed soon after eating a plate of chicken curry at 9.20pm on May, 13.

Friends desperately battled to save her life and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

A statement from Tracy Cromer who hosted the party, said: “Sandra was feeling emotional - she ate very quickly and was told to slow down.”

The inquest was told how after Sandra began to choke her friends sprang into action.

They tried to dislodge the food that had become stuck in her airway by slapping her on the back and performing a ‘bear-hug’ manoeuvre.

Sandra was then placed in the recovery position and given CPR until the emergency services arrived.

A report from PC Ralph Akehurst stated that paramedics arrived at the scene at just after 9.30pm and had attempted to revive the mother-of-three for more than 30 minutes but that she died at the scene.

Pathologist Dr Sanjay Jogai said that the retired cleaner had died of an upper airway obstruction due to impacted food, and that her level of alcohol could have effected her bodies natural ability to protect itself.

The toxicology report revealed that Sandra, of Peach Road, Coxford, was 2.9 times over the legal drink drive limit.

Sandra’s husband, Frank Bran told the inquest that his wife had been drinking since they arrived at the party at Ordnance Way, Marchwood, at around noon that day, but that she knew what she was doing.

He added: “She was fine, then next thing I know she just collapsed and people started to help her.

“There was no delay in calling the emergency services. Someone was on the phone before she collapsed.”

In summing up the events of the evening of May 13, assistant Coroner Simon Burge said that Mrs Bran had died as the result of choking on a substantial piece of chicken an inch long that had impacted her airway.

He added that the level of alcohol she had consumed prevented her body’s reflexes from working properly.

“Her friends came to to her rescue.”

“The emergency services were called immediately. They could not have done any more to try and save her life.”

Mr Burge concluded that her death was an accident.