Teenager’s drug death not linked to ambulance, says coroner

The death of a teenager who had overdosed on drugs at a music event was not directly linked to the lack of training and facilities on the private ambulance that took her to hospital, a coroner has said.

Emily Stokes died in June after attending a drum and bass gig at Dreamland in Margate, Kent.

Coroner Catherine Wood ruled at an inquest in Maidstone that the 17-year-old’s death “was a drug-related death from MDMA toxicity”.

The inquest previously heard a single, private ambulance, which was not crewed by fully qualified paramedics, had been booked for the event.

Urgent care assistant Rachel Clifton had previously told the inquest she had not been trained to deal with patients who had taken drugs and that Dreamland was the first event she had attended in a professional capacity.

The coroner said she would write to Kent Central Ambulance Service about matters that caused her concern with their care.

But she continued: “It may or may not have made a difference, but it could hopefully help someone in the future.”

The coroner said that Emily collapsed and had a cardiac arrest just as doctors were about to intubate her.

“Despite efforts at resuscitation for more than an hour, she was pronounced dead,” she added.

Dreamland’s lawyer has said its medical team is now better equipped to deal with similar overdoses.

The inquest heard that tests found 5,500 micrograms of MDMA per litre of the teenager’s blood – more than three times higher than the level that has been fatal in other drug overdose cases.

Security and medical staff at the event had been warned beforehand that a very strong batch of MDMA was circulating in Kent, laced with fentanyl, the inquest was previously told.