‘Light of our lives’ Cody, 22, died in A45 crash in heavy rain
An inquest has been held into the death of a driver whose car hit a tree on the A45 during a period of ‘significant’ rainfall.
The inquest, conducted at the Guildhall in Northampton on Monday (July 13), found Cody Stock, 22, died as a result of chest injuries sustained during a road traffic collision at 9.25pm on December 5, 2025.
During heavy rain, and in the presence of standing water from more rain throughout the day, Cody’s grey Vauxhall Mokka hydroplaned, leaving the carriageway and colliding with a tree.
Cody, and an 18-year-old in the passenger seat who sustained injuries during the crash, was travelling on the A45 westbound towards Wellingborough, where it has been raining significantly throughout the day.
The inquest heard there had been ‘heavy rain several hours before’ the incident, which resulted in a large amount of standing water on the carriageway.
A tracking app on Cody’s phone, Life360, showed a final speed of 89mph, believed to be about one minute before the collision.
At 9.43pm the first paramedic crew arrived on the scene, but Cody was pronounced dead at 10.27pm.
Benjamin Parkinson had been travelling on the A45 the same evening. In a statement read to the court, he said: “On the A45 westbound just after the Claudius Way junction with Little Irchester, the location was on a stretch of dual carriageway with a 70mph speed limit.
“The lighting was dark at the time but the road was lit, with street lamps over carriageway, visibility was poor because of the weather. It was raining sideways and very heavily.
“I was travelling from Rushden Lakes towards Yardley Hastings. I was travelling around 60mph because of the weather conditions.
“It [Cody’s car] wasn’t driving erratically, it sat behind me before pulling into lane two. As I pulled around the corner the gap decreased rapidly.
“I believed the vehicle then must have been travelling 80 to 90 miles per hour.”
The coroner, Hassan Shah, said the speed at impact ‘likely would be above the threshold for aquaplaning’ and the vehicle was being operated in an ‘inappropriate’ way, given the conditions of the road.
The toxicology report noted that there was no alcohol in Cody’s system, and only concentrations of medicines in his blood consistent with therapeutic use, having been diagnosed with ADHD in 2014, which were not believed to be a factor in his death.
Both occupants were wearing seatbelts.
A statement from the family said: “Cody was such a smiley little boy, he was the light of our lives.
“We were determined to give him the best life.
“Cody would often spend time with his siblings, or just having fun.
“On the evening of December 5 I saw him and said ‘love you kiddo', which he replied with ‘cool story bro’. I had no idea it would be the last time I saw his face or heard his voice.
“He was not only our son, he was the light strength and inspiration for us all. We are lost and broken.
“We are trying to stay strong, as a family we have each other, but we will always be missing one.
“We are honoured to say he was and always will be a member of our family.”
After ruling Cody’s death as a road traffic collision, coroner Hassan Shah added: “I’ve been doing this since 2014, and the first day I sat doing an inquest was the death of a girl who had lost control of a vehicle in the rain near Stoke Bruerne at 19 years old.
“It’s heartbreaking in many ways that I’m still doing inquests about young people, speed, and poor weather.
“You’ve got my heartfelt and sincere condolences.
“Thank you for representing Cody in such a dignified way.”