The devastated mum of a "stunning" young woman tragically killed in a horror tunnel crash says an inquest into her death has not delivered justice.
Paige Rice, 22, was the passenger in an Audi S3 when her ex-partner Callum Miller, 27, crashed head on into a Mercedes taxi in Liverpool's Queensway Tunnel last October.
Miller, who was driving at speeds of 98mph at the time of the collision, also died after sustaining fatal injuries, Liverpool Echo reports.
An inquest held in Kirkdale yesterday heard how the taxi driver needed extensive surgery and was left with "life-changing" injuries to his leg and hip.
Police initially launched an investigation to determine whether Callum had caused death by dangerous driving. But when his condition worsened and it became clear he would not survive, the probe was dropped.
After yesterday's hearing, Paige's mum Clare Rice recalled the "devastating" moment police delivered the tragic news to their Solihull home in the early hours of the morning.
She told the Liverpool Echo: "When I found out it was devastating, I could not believe it at first.
"I think I woke up the whole neighbourhood. It was so hard to take in, especially as we had to identify her that day as well."
Describing Paige's busy life and dreams at the time of the incident, she said: "Paige used to say that this year was going to be her last year of partying.
"She was going to go to Mexico, that was going to be her big expensive holiday and then the following year she wanted to start saving and buy a house.
"She was very business minded; she loved making money and she was very good at it. She wasn't only working as a nail technician at the time, she was selling cars, she was very good at moving cars.
"She had a load of dreams, she also wanted to do a Youtube channel. She was beautiful and she was real, 100% real.
"She was a bit of a diva, and you could see from her social media how many people loved her, how loved she was.
"We're all still really shocked I think, it's really hard to take in."
Ms Rice said that Paige had supported her through periods of illness and looked after her younger brother, 18-year-old Tyler.
She said: "Tyler is really struggling, he couldn't come today as he was too emotional."
Ms Rice was keen to stress Paige and Callum were not in a relationship at the time of their deaths, having split up a few months previously.
She said Paige was planning a night out in Liverpool for her birthday and was in the city to make arrangements.
Ms Rice expressed her anger at the way Callum had driven, but said the lack of any criminal trial meant there would never be accountability.
She said: "I didn't know before today that the inquest can't attribute blame so the fact that there is no criminal case means there hasn't really been any justice."
Paige's best friend Sophia Church, 23, also made the trip from Birmingham to attend the inquest and support Paige's family.
She said: "We met in secondary school (Grace Academy) in year seven, as soon as we met we hit it off. I would just laugh 24/7 with her, we laughed till we cried."
Another close friend, 22-year-old Charlie Millard, met Paige while she was studying a make-up and beauty course at University College Birmingham.
She said: "
There was never a dull moment, she always had everyone in stitches. She was always the star of the show."
Ms Rice added: "She wasn't an influencer, she never got paid for anything on social media, she just had a normal job and lived at home with me.
"But she was stunning, she was pretty and people were interested in her life, they were envious of her life. When she died I got messages from people I had never met, saying Paige was so funny, she would always make them laugh.
"They said she was so pretty and they always wanted to see what she was wearing."
During the court hearing, Mr Rebello said that at around 12.25am on October 17, the Audi had been travelling North East on Victoria Street, Liverpool City Centre, in the general direction of the Queensway Tunnel.
At the entrance of the tunnel it struck the rear of a grey coloured Passat car and then collided with a black taxi, causing minor damage to the other vehicles.
The court heard Callum then drove into the tunnel, collided with bollards, and continued at high speed.
The Audi tried to negotiate a long left-hand bend, before losing control, drifting into the opposing lane and colliding head on with the blue Mercedes taxi.
Sergeant Michael Clarey, of Merseyside Police's Roads Policing Unit, told the court forensic analysis of CCTV footage revealed the taxi was travelling at around 24mph, while Callum was driving at around 98.4mph.
The speed limit for the tunnel is 30mph, the court heard.
The court heard how Paige was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital but died a few hours later, while Callum was taken to Aintree Hospital where he died the following day.
In Paige's case, the medical cause of death was given as poly-trauma, while in Callum's case it was recorded as traumatic brain injury.
Mr Rebello explained he could not legally attribute blame to any party in the collision and was required, under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, to reach a conclusion of death by road traffic collision in each case.
He told the families of each victim: "Death is debilitating, it covers a range of emotions, anger, bitterness, revenge, love…the most important thing is not to let these deaths steal from you the person you continue to love.
"The only way you can do that is by storing up happy memories.
“Life is never measured in time, the quality of life is measured in love.”
