Blackpool artist took fatal overdose to cope with chronic pain condition which court ruled as 'misadventure'

Danielle Kassus, 35, of Leeds Road, died after taking a high dose of opioids, which had been prescribed for fibromyalgia.

Danielle passed away in her Blackpool flat on May 07, 2022, after overdosing on oxycodone - a strong painkiller.

A number of other prescription drugs were also found in her system, including codeine, and pregabalin.

But suicide was ruled out by the coroner, who put the tragic death down as “misadventure” - an accident as a result of a risk that was taken voluntarily.

An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall on Oct 12, 2022, heard that Danielle, an artist and former veterinary nurse, had taken a lethal dose of oxycodone which was worse because of minor liver damage.

Dr Shaktawat, Consultant Pathologist at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said that her fatty liver would have meant it took longer for the liver to rid the body of toxins from the drug, which may have contributed to the death.

Danielle’s brother, Ben, had been staying with his sister after flying over from Israel on May 05. Two days later he went to check on Danielle in her bedroom at 12.15pm and found her “hunched over”.

She was likely to have been dead for several hours as rigor mortis had set in, according to the police report.

Family members said that although she sometimes felt frustrated with her health, she was optimistic and had been thinking about her future. Ben said that she had been evicted from her flat, but was looking forward to moving into a caravan.

Appearing over video link from Israel, he said: “We had a discussion about life and her situation, [she expressed] frustration about severe pain levels, but also showed signs of hope. She always tried to see the positive outcome. She was looking forward to making music too.”

Her father, Bernie, said he regularly spoke to Danielle for two hours at a time on the phone, to help distract her from the pain.

He recalled one of the last things she said to him was: “I feel that my body can’t take it any longer”.

She lived apart from her wife, Anastasia, but they saw each other most days.

Anastasia recalled that her wife had been complaining of severe abdominal pains, and feeling sick in the last few months. But she also said her wife was unlikely to kill herself, and that she was very careful with her medication.

She told the court: “[Danielle] had two deaths in the family and it really affected her. She would never take her own life and let her brother find her. She would never do that to her brother.”

After hearing the evidence, Senior Coroner, Alan Wilson said: “I am not satisfied that this was a suicide. It is clear that she was in a low mood and in pain but there was some planning for the future.”

He concluded that it was ‘death by misadventure’ as she intended to take the drug but did not intend to die.

“Levels of pain prompted her to take more than was safe to take.”

Call the Samaritans for free 24/7 on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org for self-help tools and information.