A MUM'S life spiralled downwards after being left fighting for her life following a horror crash in which three of her friends died, an inquest has heard.

Stacey Haslam, from Bolton, was a rear seat passenger when the car she was in crashed into a lamppost and flipped onto its roof near the Ocean Palace restaurant in Darwen, in October 2011.

The driver and two other passengers died while Stacey was left in a critical condition in hospital.

She suffered injuries to multiple organs.

An inquest into the deaths of driver Lee Amos and passengers Helen Openshaw and Roy O’Brien took place at Blackburn Coroner’s Court in 2012.

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 lamp-post and turned upside down,

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.

Following the tragedy, Stacey’s mum Mandy said she developed chronic drug use after meeting a friend.

And compensation money that came as a result of the road traffic collision was spent on drugs, Bolton Coroner’s Court heard.

Stacey embarked on a “chaotic” lifestyle and took drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

It was reported that she battled with depression too.

And on July 7 this year, Stacey, aged 34, was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital after feeling very unwell and suffering with pain in her leg.

Her thigh was swollen due to drug use.

She was examined but she did not respond to treatment and continued to become more ill.

It was found that Stacey, of Edge Hill Road, had septicaemia and her condition worsened with her suffering multi-organ failure.

She died on July 9.

Pathologist Dr Patrick Waugh concluded that Stacey died from septicaemia and a leg abscess with intravenous drug use being a contributory factor.

Mrs Haslam said her daughter was a “wonderful daughter, mother and sister” but her “lifestyle” had suffered.

Stacey, who received support from the Greater Manchester Bolton Achieve rehabilitation team for her drug addiction, had “opened up” in the last couple of years about her life and wanted her family be together, her mum added.

Area coroner for Manchester West, Alan Walsh, agreed with Mr Waugh’s medical conclusions and recorded a “drug-related death”.

Mr Walsh said: “Stacey was 34 at the time of her death.

“She was a young lady with children, who had been in the words of the family, a good daughter and a good mother.

“She was in a very serious road traffic collision and suffered very injuries.

“The crash led to the death of three people.”

Mr Walsh also mentioned the influence of her friend who led her to taking drugs.

He said: “I am satisfied that this is a drug-related death.

“It is important to record the words of her mother that Stacey had become more open and honest and that she was a wonderful daughter.

“Stacey’s lifestyle and the road traffic collision clearly had a major impact on her.

“It is greatly saddening and I will pass on my condolences and sympathies to the family.”