People have paid tribute to a young woman 'taken far too soon' after an inquest into a crash that killed two people and left one with life-changing injuries.
Paige Rice, 22, was the passenger in an Audi S3 when it crashed, head on, into the Mercedes taxi inside the Queensway Tunnel, in the early hours of Sunday, October 17 last year.
The Audi was being driven by her ex-partner Callum Miller, a 27-year-old labourer from Stockport, who also died from his injuries.
READ MORE: 'Stunning' young woman killed in tunnel crash will get no justice, says mum
An inquest into their deaths, held at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Kirkdale today, heard how the driver of the taxi suffered "life-changing" injuries to his leg and hip in the collision and has undergone extensive surgery since.
The Audi was travelling at 98mph in the Queensway Tunnel, which has a limit of 30mph.
The court heard Merseyside Police initially launched a criminal investigation into a potential offence of causing death by dangerous driving, but the probe was dropped when it became clear Callum would not survive.
Paige's mum, Clare 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."
ECHO readers took to the comments section to send well wishes to Paige's family and friends.
Pat Mcgrath said: "Taken far too soon, thinking of all her family/friends."
Sarah Shepherd said: "Extremely sad for both families of the deceased and even more heartbreaking for the poor innocent taxi driver and his family too."
Mystic Meg said: "What in the blue .... was he thinking??..98mph..in a tunnel.. I shudder to think. RIP poor girl, she must've been terrified."
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