A horror crash that killed a young couple when their car collided with a taxi has left the driver of the other car with life-changing injuries.
Paige Rice, 22, was in an Audi S3 driven by Callum Miller, 27, when it collided with a taxi in the early hours of Sunday, October 17.
Paige, from the West Midlands, was pronounced dead in hospital a few hours after the crash, while Callum, a labourer, remained in a critical condition for around three days before succumbing to his injuries.
Meanwhile, the driver of the taxi, a man in his 40s, survived but has required hospital treatment for serious injuries, the Liverpool Echo reported.
Merseyside Police said it was believed the Audi had been in a collision with another vehicle on the Hunter Street roundabout before crashing again in the tunnel.
On November 17, the family and friends of Paige said their final goodbye at a funeral held at Woodlands Crematorium in Birmingham.
An inquest into Paige and Callum’s deaths took place this afternoon, with family members of each victim in attendance as Coroner Andre Rebello explained the purpose of the inquest was not to establish blame or fault but to simply “establish what occurred”.
Coroner’s officer Ms Paula White spoke first at the inquest to state that Paige’s medical cause of death was trauma and poly-trauma.
Callum, whose body was identified by his father, Peter Miller, died from a traumatic brain injury, Ms White said.
Giving evidence next, Sgt Michael Clarey, of Merseyside Police roads policing unit, confirmed Paige was a passenger in a grey coloured Audi S3 driven by Callum when it was involved in the crash with three other vehicles, including the taxi.
At around 12.25am on October 17, the Audi had been travelling North East on Victoria Street, in the general direction of Queensway Tunnel.
At the entrance of the tunnel, it struck the rear of a grey coloured Passat and then collided with a London taxi, causing minor damage to the other vehicles.
It then collided with bollards and entered the tunnel at a fast speed.
The car travelled for a short distance while it negotiated a long bend, before losing control and colliding head-on with a blue coloured Mercedes taxi.
Both vehicles suffered heavy damage with the force of the impact, Sgt Clarey said, and the taxi travelled backwards some considerable distance.
All the occupants of the vehicles remained at the scene.
Paige Rice sustained severe injuries in the front passenger seat of the Audi and was stabilised at the scene before being transferred to the Royal, where she was pronounced dead at 4.10am.
Meanwhile, Callum Miller was transferred to the trauma centre at Aintree Hospital, he was on life support and sedated, and his condition was described as critical and likely to prove fatal.
He died the following day.
The driver of the taxi was very seriously injured in the collision and was also at the trauma unit at Aintree Hospital.
Mr Rebello said: “I understand he has undergone extensive surgical procedures and has suffered life-changing injuries involving his right leg, hip and wrist.”
Mr Rebello pointed out that the road had a 30mph speed limit and there were no defects on the road.
CCTV was recovered which showed the initial and subsequent collisions, along with CCTV was also recovered around Victoria Street, along with dashcam footage from the taxi showing the Audi travelling at an apparent “fast speed” before colliding with it.
On October 17, the investigation was treated as a criminal probe, with the offence considered as causing death by dangerous driving.
However, due to the conditions of the victims, the investigation was not progressed.
Sgt Clarey says forensic collision analysis of the CCTV was carried out, as well as speed analysis looking at the time taken for the Audi to travel between fixed points on the footage.
Analysis of the footage revealed the Mercedes taxi was travelling at 24.6mph.
But as it entered the left-hand bend, it was believed to be travelling at around 98.4mph.
Mr Rebello says the taxi driver has been too unwell to give a statement to the police, meaning the coroner has a limited number of conclusions available to them, based on High Court decisions.
He says some coroners would find a conclusion of unlawful killing in certain Road Traffic Collisions.