A boyfriend said 'I'm so sorry' to his girlfriend after he lost control of their car and plunged into icy water that slowly drowned them over three hours, an inquest heard.
Crash details and survivor account
Adam Dudzinski, 17, and his girlfriend Chloe-Ann Naylor, 16, died after their Ford Fiesta flipped into a drainage ditch off a country road near Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent at around 8.30pm on 3 January — the coldest day of the year. Trapped upside down and hidden from view, it took three hours for the couple to drown in the shallow water.
A 16-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, survived the crash after her father traced her through a phone app. She told the inquest that Chloe kept trying to keep Adam's head above water. The teenager described preparing herself to drown before Chloe tapping her leg gave her the courage to release her seatbelt.
While trapped inside the submerged vehicle, she recalled Adam repeatedly saying: 'I am sorry, I am so sorry.' The survivor shouted Chloe's name before she 'went quiet'.
Inquest findings
Kent and Medway Coroner Ian Potter heard Adam had been driving Chloe and their friend to Chloe's home in Sittingbourne after the three had spent the evening at his house. The court was told Adam, a supermarket worker who did not hold a driving licence and was uninsured, lost control of the Ford Fiesta on a sharp bend on the dark rural road.
In a statement, the surviving passenger said Adam had been driving quickly but was not speeding. She said he attempted to slow down but failed to brake in time for the bend before the car left the road. She also described Chloe desperately trying to keep Adam's head above the rising water while repeatedly calling out to her friend before eventually falling silent.
Rescue and investigation
The survivor's father became concerned when his daughter's location stopped updating on the Life360 mobile phone app. He travelled to the last recorded location shortly before midnight and discovered the overturned vehicle partially submerged in the ditch. Emergency services, including police, firefighters, paramedics and HM Coastguard, rushed to the scene. Despite their efforts, Adam and Chloe were pronounced dead after drowning. The surviving teenager was rescued and later discharged from hospital.
Collision investigators found no evidence Adam had been exceeding the speed limit but concluded he had likely been travelling too fast for the road conditions. The court also heard police sought to prosecute Adam's legal guardian for allegedly permitting him to drive while uninsured and without a licence. However, the Crown Prosecution Service determined there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
Verdict and aftermath
Recording verdicts of accidental death, Coroner Ian Potter expressed his condolences to the three families. He said: 'This is a very tragic state of circumstances and I cannot begin to imagine what the three families have been through.' Following the tragedy, floral tributes were left at the scene in Old Ferry Road, while more than £15,000 was raised through fundraising campaigns to support the families of Adam and Chloe.
