AN inquest into the deaths of two young people killed when the car they were travelling in crashed into a taxi inside Queensway Tunnel has found that it was being driven at 98mph moments before the impact.

Paige Rice, 22, and Callum Miller, 27, died after the Audi S3, driven by Mr Miller, collided head on with a Mercedes taxi, driven by a man in his 40s, who has been left with "life-changing injuries" following the incident in the early hours of October 17 last year.

Ms Rice, of Solihull, West Midlands, was pronounced dead in hospital a few hours after the crash, while Mr Miller, of Stockport, remained in a critical condition and died the next day.

At an inquest held at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool, Andre Rebello, senior coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, confirmed that Ms Rice died at the Royal Liverpool Hospital at 1.10am on October 17, with the cause of death given as polytrauma and multiple trauma - medical terms describing the condition of a person who has been subjected to multiple traumatic injuries.

She was described as working as a nail technician at the time of her death.

Mr Miller's cause of death was confirmed as traumatic brain injury with the labourer said to have died at Royal Aintree Hospital the following day.

Giving evidence to the inquest, Sgt Michael Clarey, of Merseyside Police roads policing unit, said that three other vehicles apart from the silver Audi S3 were involved in the incident.

Sgt Clarey described how at around 12.25am on Sunday, October 17, Mr Miller was driving the Audi, with Ms Rice as passenger, towards the entrance of the Queensway Tunnel.

As it was driven around the Hunter Street roundabout, the Audi struck the rear of a grey coloured Passat and then collided with a London taxi, before accelerating into the tunnel and hitting a number of bollards.

Sgt Clarey said Mr Miller lost control of the Audi as he negotiated a long bend and veered across the tunnel, colliding head on with the blue coloured Mecedes taxi which was pushed backwards a "considerable distance".

Ms Rice was said to have survived the crash and received first aid at the scene before being transferred to hospital where she died.

Mr Miller was also treated at the scene and taken to Royal Aintree Hospital in a critical condition and put on a life support machine before dying the following day. 

Mr Rebello said that the taxi driver and sustained "very serious injuries" and was also taken to Royal Aintree Hospital.

 “I understand he has undergone extensive surgical procedures and has suffered life-changing injuries involving his right leg, hip and wrist," said Mr Rebello.

The road inside the tunnel was described as dry with no defects but various CCTV and dashcam footage showed Mr Miller was driving at "fast speed" as he entered the tunnel.

Sgt Clarey said a criminal investigation began following the deaths with officers looking at an offence of causing death by dangerous driving but this was discontinued following the injuries to those involved.

Further analysis of the footage revealed the Mercedes taxi was travelling at 24.6mph while the Audi was being driven at around 98.4mph in what is a 30mph zone inside the tunnel.

Concluding that both victims died as the result of a road traffic collision, Mr Robello urged the family members present to remember the pair by their "happy memories" and not by their deaths.

He added: “Death is debilitating, it covers a range of emotions, anger, bitterness, revenge, love, but 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.”