Johnston County Wreck Claims Two Teenagers

Two teenagers suffered fatal personal injuries by drowning after their car hydroplaned in the heavy rain on the morning of March 29 and was submerged in a swamp in Johnston County.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol identified the victims of the early morning accident as 18-year-old Angier resident Christopher Paul Kosmos and 16-year-old Clayton resident Alissa Chanette. Both were students at West Johnston High School.

According to the NCHP, the accident occurred shortly before 7 a.m. at Steel Bridge Road, near Lee Road, approximately two miles south of Clayton.

Troopers say Kosmos was driving a white 1998 Chevy Cavalier that hydroplaned and ran off the road into a ditch. The vehicle overturned and was submerged with the wheels facing up in the swampy area.

Chanette’s body was located inside the vehicle with the seatbelt still on. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Department’s swift water rescue team located Kosmos’ body about 150 feet away from the vehicle.

A medical examiner will determine the teens’ exact cause of death.