‘GARRULOUS, chatty and full of life’, 84-year-old former nurse Brian Newton-Cox had been rebuilding his life in Swindon when it was abruptly halted by a tragic fall.

At 4.30pm on January 20, Brian had been returning to his home at Epworth Court after a shopping trip to the butchers when he stumbled and fell in Bath Road – into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

He suffered a broken neck and head trauma and was rushed to Great Western Hospital for treatment.

However, despite attempts to save him, Brian never woke from an induced coma, and died early on Thursday.

The retired NHS worker from Norfolk, known as ‘Brysie’ to family and friends, had only been in Swindon for a few months after being widowed for the second time and moving to the town to be closer to his family.

“He was just keen on building a new life,” said daughter-in-law Deena, 50.

“He had lots of memories he needed to move on from and wanted to be more independent.

“We thought Old Town would be perfect for him, and he loved it. After he had been widowed for the second time he was trying to get his life back together despite his health problems, and it had taken a long while to bring him back from that depression.

“He was really just starting to rebuild his confidence at doing all the little everyday things he had not been able to do before.”

Brian had been in supported accommodation with the Methodist Housing Association to help him with ongoing health issues.

“He was suffering from diabetes, several strokes, and was wobbly on his feet, no more than the usual poor balance for an elderly person,” added Deena.

“When I first saw him after the accident I was just shocked at how catastrophic the injuries had been.

“This was hardly a high speed collision. He had simply hit his head on the kerb and the bumper of the car, but he had broken his neck, suffered brain injuries and lost all motor response.

“The doctors put him into an induced coma and we never spoke to him again after that. He didn’t wake up.”

She added: “We all got a chance to say goodbye, and his daughter Debbie Nicol was able to visit with her three children, as well as my husband Andrew and daughter Daisy.

“His great-grand-daughter was also brought to see him, who was only a few weeks old, and he had only seen her once before.”

The family were offered items found at the scene of Brian’s fall – his shopping for that week – which helped lift their spirits slightly.

“In a way it was quite sweet that a bag of steak and the receipt was found next to him,” said Deena.

“Part of the story became happier then, because we knew he had been happy at the time.

“It was a huge amount of steak, £47 worth, and he would go and buy it in bulk and freeze the lot of it.

“We had found out he had made a new friend who was an ex-cook, and made a deal where he would buy the food and his friend would cook it for both of them. He had a way with people like that and finding good characters.”