Half marathon runner died after broken leg misdiagnosed as pulled hamstring, inquest hears

A mother of two, who died after breaking her leg in Cardiff half marathon was misdiagnosed and told she had pulled her hamstring, an inquest heard today.

Sarah-Jayne Roche experienced shooting pain up her leg and was told by medics "there is not much else we can do."

The inquest heard that she was turned away from hospital three times and later died from a suspected heart attack, 12 days after the race.

The school worker was running the Cardiff half marathon with her husband, Steven, as a personal goal before she reached 40.

She was running to raise money for Parkinson's disease after her father Alan was diagnosed with the illness.

When she reached the seven-mile point in the race she came to a halt after experiencing "shooting pain up her leg."

An inquest heard Sarah-Jayne was checked over by St John's ambulance staff, who diagnosed her with a pulled hamstring.

But Sarah-Jayne was taken to A&E three times by her family in "excruciating pain" in the following days before she died, an inquest heard.

Her husband Steven said she found it "very difficult to get in and out of the car and she needed a wheelchair".

She was prescribed strong painkillers and told to "try a hot water bottle" the inquest heard.

Steven said the doctor asked his wife to move her leg but "she was in excruciating pain at that point."

He said "no other examination were really suggested."

The inquest heard her leg and foot had become swollen and her foot was cold to touch. But she was not sent for an X-ray until her final visit to A&E.

But Sarah-Jayne's mum Patricia Newman claims the doctor did not carry out a physical examination of her daughter.

She spent three days in hospital before she died on October 19 from a suspected cardiac arrest.

The inquest in Pontypridd continues.