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A talented art gallery owner fell to her death from a rooftop garden after taking ketamine, an inquest has been told.
Popular Lana Vanzetta, who ran and lived at Margate House in the town’s high street, suffered fatal injuries in the tragic accident on July 27.
A post-mortem examination revealed the Margate resident had ketamine in her system, with the inquest told the Class B drug would have likely made her “unsteady on her feet”.
At the hearing assistant coroner Sonia Hayes was told how medics tried desperately to save Ms Vanzetta’s life following the fall.
She was rushed to Margate’s QEQM Hospital and was due to be airlifted to King’s College Hospital in London for specialist treatment, but sadly died before the transfer could take place.
Ms Vanzetta, who was married to fashion stylist Carl Abad, had lived in Canada for many years, but moved to Margate due to its thriving art scene, soon establishing her own gallery.
She was in the process of revamping the building and had been due to start a master’s degree in fine art at The Margate School.
‘Lana was a force to be reckoned with, highly respected by the community...’
The inquest at Archbishop’s Palace, Maidstone, was told how Ms Vanzetta’s screams were heard in the high street as she fell to the ground in an alleyway beside KFC at 11.48am.
Investigating officer DS Claire Munday arrived at the scene and determined there was no evidence of a disturbance or third party involvement.
It had initially been suspected that the mum-of-one had fallen from a second-floor window, but this was ruled out by DS Munday as she believed the window ledge was too high above the floor.
She told the inquest it was more likely Ms Vanzetta fell from the rooftop garden, which neighbours and friends had said she was known to visit.
The possibility of suicide was investigated but this was also ruled out as there was no evidence to suggest Ms Vanzetta intended to take her own life.
Her sister, Maxine Vanzetta, described her as her “friend and confidante” in an email sent to the coroner.
“Lana was a force to be reckoned with, highly respected by the community,” she said, adding that she had never know her sister to take drugs.
She told how during a recent trip to Canada - where her family lived - her sister “was in good spirits” and excited about the refurbishment of Margate House.
DS Munday said when she entered Ms Vanzetta’s home she found a credit card on top of a pile of white powder - which was later revealed to be ketamine.
Friends had known of Ms Vanzetta’s “recreational drug-use”, but said she did not consume large amounts of any substance.
A toxicology report revealed ketamine had been found in her system - and although she had not overdosed on it, the inquest was told it would have caused confusion and drowsiness.
Ms Hayes said Ms Vanzetta died from multiple injuries, with ketamine a contributory factor in her death.
But she felt certain the artist was not “chronically addicted” to drugs given what she had managed to achieve.
“[Lana] was a successful woman who had managed to buy her property, convert it and during these difficult times had managed to make a success of her life,” she said.
But Ms Hayes said the level of ketamine in Ms Vanzetta’s body would have made her “unsteady on her feet”.
“This was a very tragic accident for a talented woman whose life was tragically cut short,” she concluded.
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