A woman who was fourteen times over the legal MDMA limit while driving killed herself and her friend in a crash near Norwich, an inquest has heard. Sara Pancas, 38, was returning from a Halloween party when she lost control of her Mini on the A11 and hit a tree at 47mph.
Her housemate Sara Ribeiro, 29, who was in the back seat, died at the scene. Pancas died from traumatic brain injuries two days later. Two other passengers, Anna Dias and Vladmira Silva, suffered serious injuries; Silva spent over a month in hospital.
The inquest at Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard that Pancas and Ribeiro, both Portuguese, had been partying at Kudos nightclub in Norwich. Shortly after 5am on November 3, 2024, Pancas struck a kerb and lost control on the A11 near Thickthorn Roundabout.
Toxicological tests found 140 micrograms of MDMA per litre of blood in Pancas’ system—fourteen times the legal limit of 10 micrograms. Cannabis was also present. Forensic crash investigator Sophia Richards said MDMA was the most plausible explanation for the collision.
Passenger Dias told the court that Pancas had been nervous about driving on the left. Silva, who was not wearing a seatbelt, sustained facial fractures and a dislocated hip. Area coroner Yvonne Blake gave a joint conclusion of road traffic collision and drug-related death for Pancas, and recorded Ribeiro’s cause of death as a torn aorta.
