The close-knit community of Iwade in Kent is in mourning after a tragic car crash claimed the lives of two teenagers and left a third injured.
A Fatal Collision on a Country Lane
Emergency services were called to Old Ferry Road in Iwade, near Sittingbourne, at around 8.30pm on Saturday, January 3, following reports that a car had left the carriageway. The vehicle, a blue Ford Fiesta, is understood to have swerved off the road in the fatal collision.
Despite the rapid response from multiple ambulance crews, critical care paramedics, and the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex, the two front occupants of the car were later pronounced dead at the scene. A third occupant, a 16-year-old girl, was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but has since been discharged.
Community Pays Tribute and Raises Funds
The victims have been named locally as 16-year-old Chloe Naylor and a 17-year-old boy named Adam. It is understood all three teenagers were from the local area, with one reported to be a sixth-form student at Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne.
In the wake of the devastating loss, friends and family have turned to online fundraising to help cover funeral costs. A GoFundMe page set up for Chloe describes her as a 'princess' and aims to fund a horse and carriage for her funeral, a tribute organised by her mother Donna's friend.
A separate fund for Adam remembers him as a 'very special friend' who was 'always smiling and full of life'. The pages have collectively raised over £10,000, demonstrating an outpouring of community support for the grieving families.
Calls for Action on Dangerous Road
The accident has reignited concerns about safety on this stretch of country road, which is used by drivers travelling between Sittingbourne and Medway. The crash follows several other serious incidents along the same corridor recently, including fatalities on the nearby M2.
Kelvin Rivers-Simpson, an Iwade parish councillor, told local media that the corner where the accident happened is 'very dangerous'. He confirmed that the parish council is actively looking at safety improvements, which have been on a highways improvement plan, though he noted that such measures 'move very slowly'.
Flowers have been laid at the scene by heartbroken passersby, as the community grapples with the sudden loss of two young lives.
