A “young, cheeky and loving person” who was “building himself up for a bright future” died when his car came off the A14 at speed, an inquest into his death heard.

%image(15163083, type="article-full", alt="Andrew Warne was a keen stock car racer andhis girlfriend described him as a "safe and careful" driver who always wore a seat belt. Picture: FAMILY OF ANDREW WARNE")

Andrew Warne’s words to his girlfriend were “just remember I’ll always love you” before his Audi A5 left the road and struck a wooded area near Sproughton at 11.08pm on January 4.

The 22-year-old, who was a keen stock car racer and worked as a car technician and fabricator at Bridge Classic Cars, was found by police with severe head injuries and pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

In a statement read at Andrew’s inquest on Tuesday, July 28, his girlfriend Emily Birch said he left her flat in Stowmarket with a few of his friends after they had a minor argument.

She rang him and said: “He was upset and crying and I could tell by the noise he was driving.

“He said to me: ‘Just remember I’ll always love you.’”

Pc Jeffrey Cribb told the court there was no evidence Andrew had braked or attempted to swerve once his car left the road and travelled across the embankment.

He was also not wearing his seat belt.

It is believed the car was travelling at approximately 100mph at the time of the crash.

Andrew was not prescribed any medication for depression, nor had he ever informed his doctor at Leiston Surgery of any mental health problems.

However, Ms Birch said that to her knowledge Andrew suffered from depression.

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A post-mortem examination found a small amount of alcohol in his system and, while he was below the legal limit for driving, it was also combined with cocaine.

Darren Warne, Andrew’s father, told the court he had never known his son to suffer from depression and that Andrew was “as much a good friend as he was a son”.

Mr Warne described Andrew as a “young, cheeky and loving person” who would always help anybody who needed it.

He added: “He was a young person who was building himself up for a bright future. He had everything to look forward to.”

In conclusion, senior Suffolk coroner Nigel Parsley said: “It was apparent Andrew was speeding. He had consumed drugs and alcohol prior to this, both of which are clearly dangerous.

“He had made comments that he intended to take his own life and his actions, including not wearing a seat belt, may support this.”

“What we don’t know is whether he intended his car to hit the verge of the A14 that night.

“I can conclude that Andrew died in a road traffic collision, after his vehicle left the road at a high speed, striking the wooded verge area.

“What led Andrew’s vehicle to leave the road cannot be established in medical evidence.”