A SPEEDING driver was three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit when his car crashed into a lamppost, killing him and two other people, an inquest heard.

Driver Lee Amos and passengers Helen Openshaw and Roy O’Brien died in the horror smash on the A666 near Darwen.

Stacey Haslam, who was also a passenger, told the inquest she, along with Ms Openshaw and Mr O’Brien, pleaded with Mr Amos to slow down.

But he ignored their warnings and continued to accelerate, overtaking vehicles and weaving across the road.

The car hit a lamppost and flipped upside down, killing the 39-year-old forklift truck driver from Ullswater Drive, Farnworth.

Mum-of-three Ms Openshaw, 38, a retail assistant, from Crescent Avenue, Farnworth, and Mr O’Brien, 33, a labourer, from Moorfield Road, Kearsley, were also killed when the car hit a lamppost and flipped upside down.

Rear passenger, 25-year-old Ms Haslam, was left fighting for her life after the crash near the Ocean Palace restaurant at Bull Hill, at 3.30pm, on Saturday October 8 last year.

At an inquest at Blackburn Coroner’s Court yesterday, Ms Haslam, of Vale Avenue, Horwich, said the group had been travelling back to Farnworth from Bromley Cross in Ms Openshaw’s red Peugeot 206 when Mr Amos began driving along the A666 to Darwen.

She said: “For some reason we ended up on the A666, but no-one questioned why we were there, then Lee’s driving got really erratic.

“It was so bad that Helen said to stop and she would drive.

“We all just said to Lee to slow down.

“We were all quite frightened and he never said anything to us, he just carried on driving worse and worse.

“I knew we were going to crash because his driving was just too bad. When it got to a point when I was frightened I just braced myself.

“He never said a word, he never said anything, his face was just blank.”

The inquest heard it was raining, the sky was dark with heavy clouds and the road was wet at the time of the crash.

Three motorists who witnessed the car being driven along the road, gave evidence to the inquest and said they all expected a crash to happen.

Philip Malloy, who was overtaken by the Peugeot, said the car began swerving before accelerating so it was right behind him.

He added: “I was really expecting it to collide with my car, but it swerved violently towards the centre of the road and accelerated past.”

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death for Mr Amos, Ms Openshaw and Mr O’Brien.