A worker from a McDonald's restaurant died of hidden complications after he was injured in a cycling accident.

An inquest has heard how tragic Christopher Draper thought he had suffered only a minor leg injury.

But the fast food worker, who worked in a Grimsby branch of the global chain, went into cardiac arrest.

The 40-year-old died in front of his mum, who tried to save him, after a blood clot developed in his right calf.

He didn't know he had blood a clot after he fell while cycling home from work two weeks before his death on June 29.

Mr Draper was forced to hit the brakes quickly - causing him to fall to the ground - when a small child crossed his path, but he did not seek hospital treatment afterwards,  GrimsbyLive  reports.

He mentioned the incident to his brother Nick the next day and laughed about it, and a week later he suffered breathing difficulties but thought they were due to hay fever, the inquest at Cleethorpes Town Hall heard.

Mr Draper's grief-stricken mum Karen, who attended the inquest with her husband Raymond and son Nick, said she rushed to Christopher's aid when he collapsed while using his computer at home.

After she propped him up on the bed he told her he didn't need an ambulance.

But within minutes he complained of breathing problems yet still insisted an ambulance was not needed.

Mr Draper collapsed again and his lips turned blue and purple.

Paramedics spent an hour trying to resuscitate him, the inquest was told.

Mrs Draper told the inquest: "Christopher was a lovely son and I miss terribly. Every afternoon he always used to make me a cup of tea and bring it up to my office and we would sit and have a good chin wag.

"From a young age he was always very close with his younger brother Nick, they were like twins, and they even worked together for years in McDonald's, where Christopher would say 'hi' to him every morning by tapping him on the head.

"Nick used to complain about that jokingly, but I can tell now that it's something he really misses."

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She added: "Christopher has always loved comic books, Star Wars and video games, and his room was full to the brim with everything from comics to figures that he enjoyed collecting over the years.

"Video gaming was a very big passion of his, and he made friends from all over the world playing games like World of Warcraft.

"Once I remember him telling me about how he helped a young lad he played with online overcome some bullies, and that was just the type of person he was, he always stood up for people and didn't stand for bullying.

"Christopher was also very passionate about animals, particularly golden retriever dogs, and our current dog Scoobie would wait for him at the back gate coming home everyday. It was a common sight to see them sleeping beside each other in bed.

"His death has really hit us all very hard, and I keep thinking that if he mentioned his leg being sore we could have done something, but he never did.

"I also know that if he knew what would happen following the accident, he would have done the same thing again and fall off his bike to stop from crashing into a child, he would never have allowed that to happen."

Mr Draper's father Raymond thanked neighbours and McDonald's staff who have supported the family through "the worst time of their lives".

He added: "The community spirit that we have experienced since Christopher's death has been incredible. All of our neighbours rallied around and collected hundreds of pounds for flowers, with the rest of the money being donated to the Guide Dogs Charity.

"His friends at the Grimsby Wargames Society on Sixhills Street, have also been very affected by his passing, as he went there every week, and they are planning on putting a memorial plaque there in his honour.

"I would also like to thank McDonald's for the support that they have given Karen and I, but particularly our son Nick and his partner Ollie, who was like a sister to Christopher.

"He also adored his niece and nephew and loved spending as much time with them as he could.

"It is hard trying to comprehend that he is gone, but I guess this is now our new normal. I just love him so much and really wish that he was still here with us."

Mark Kendall, acting coroner for North East Lincolnshire, ruled that that Mr Draper's death was caused by the cycling accident.