Coroner warns of more deaths at Northamptonshire road danger-spot
A coroner has warned there is a risk of more deaths at a danger-spot on a busy Northamptonshire road unless action is taken.
Cody Stock, 22, died in December 2025 after his car hydroplaned into a tree on the A45 westbound near Little Irchester, between Rushden and Wellingborough.
Two further hydroplaning incidents have since been reported at the same location, while collision investigators attending after Cody’s crash found a ‘considerable’ amount of standing water which was slow to drain.
Assistant coroner for Northamptonshire Hassan Shah has now issued a prevention of future deaths (PFD) report raising questions over the response of authorities to the drainage issues.
Cody was estimated to have been driving at up to 90mph on the evening in question. After his car hit a patch of water, it skidded into a tree and he sustained fatal chest injuries.
At his inquest in July, his death was ruled an accident.
But Mr Shah took the unusual step of issuing a report to help prevent similar deaths.
It details two further incidents at the same point. On February 1, a BMW hydroplaned and came to rest in foliage on the nearside verge. On February 28, another vehicle hydroplaned.
A police investigator told the inquest: “The centralised location of these collisions suggests that there may be ongoing issues with drainage on this section of the road.”
The investigator also found standing water in lane two flowing towards a drain, which initially appeared flooded before slowly receding.
National Highways told the coroner it undertakes ‘regular maintenance’ in line with its annual maintenance requirement plan.
It added: “There are no planned renewals as there were no recorded flood events at this location.”
Topographical and drainage surveys were arranged for summer 2026 following minor works for ‘overburden removal’.
However, Mr Shah raised concerns over how long the surveys had taken following Cody’s death in December. Their results are still not available.
He was also alarmed that the trigger for ‘renewals’ was ‘narrow and restricted to recorded flood events’, without accounting for collisions caused by hydroplaning.
Mr Shah said he believed there was a risk of future deaths unless action was taken.
North Northamptonshire Council, West Northamptonshire Council and National Highways were ordered to respond by September 8. Only West Northamptonshire Council had done so.
A National Highways spokeswoman said the authority had now responded to the coroner and it would be inappropriate to comment publicly at this stage.