Charlotte Lescott is telling her story to encourage parents to plan financially in case of their partner's death.
A bereaved mother has revealed the last words she said to the father of her child before he died in a horrific jet ski accident.
Charlotte Lescott, 31, was living with her partner Ali Watson, 28, and their newborn daughter Soulie when the tragedy struck.
The trio were enjoying a boat trip with friends which involved riding jet skis.
After Ali went off on his watercraft, the group’s instructor collided with him, killing him instantly.
Charlotte, who stayed on the boat to look after Soulie, says the last thing she said to Ali was ‘be safe, I love you’.
Shortly after the incident, which happened in December 2020, local police said the crash was caused by ‘negligence … punishable by law’, though it’s not clear whether anyone has been arrested since.
Recalling the incident, Charlotte, from Birmingham, said: ‘I was holding the baby on the boat and witnessed it.
‘The last thing I said was “be safe, I love you”.
‘Even when I saw the crash I didn’t think the worst. I thought he’d have a broken leg. Death doesn’t go through your mind.
‘When my friend said Char you need to sit down – I knew what she was going to say.
‘I just felt my whole world had collapsed. I just remember screaming at the top of my lungs.
‘My world stopped spinning the moment Ali died.’
Charlotte is now working to raise awareness of life insurance options after suffering crippling financial problems in the wake of Ali’s death.
While grieving she discovered Ali’s policy had been ‘cancelled’ and she was denied access to many of the couple’s possessions.
She added: ‘We had a lot of stuff in a shipment. A lot of Soulie’s clothes, the cot.
‘I couldn’t get it released to me because it was in Ali’s name. Me and my baby had literally nothing.
‘When you lose someone unexpectedly life stops. You still have to pay rent or mortgage and bills. They don’t stop but you have stopped.
‘I was embarrassed to ask family. I didn’t want to say ‘can you help me financially?’
‘You don’t want to think about paying the bills. I didn’t take ownership of my finances.
‘I couldn’t function. The world around you is still carrying on.’
Charlotte says she is now in a better place and regularly talks about Ali with Soulie, who is now nearly four.
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