A MOTHER whose son died in a hit-and-run accident where the driver had taken heroin the previous night said after the inquest: "How would he feel if we had left his baby in the middle of the road?"

Liz Hamer's 13-year-old son and 'best friend' Anthony Tattersall died after pathologist Doctor Melanie Newbold said he suffered a head injury in the collision on Centenary Way in Burnley on December 8 last year.

At the inquest in Burnley, acting East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor went through driver Nigel Canning's police interviews, when he admitted to smoking two £10 bags of heroin the previous night to 'make him feel normal.' He was also on anti-depressant tablets.

He told police: "What happened, happened. I could not prevent it. I am sorry, there is nothing I can do to bring him back."

He said he could not remember taking any drugs during the day before the accident but after the collision he bought more heroin. He claimed he was driving at 40mph.

Mr Canning, who had been living at a friend Gary Bradley's house in Leyland Road, Burnley, did stop after the accident but only to let his passenger, Mr Bradley, out of the vehicle. He then drove off. On arrest, he told police he had panicked.

After Mr Canning confirmed the police evidence, Mr Taylor cautioned him not to say anything which may incriminate himself. When he was quizzed further Mr Canning said: "I have been advised not to answer any questions."

A verdict of accidental death was recorded on Anthony, of Wiswell Close, Rawtenstall.

After the inquest, his mum Liz, who was comforted by her husband Darren, said: "It's just a mother's nightmare. It really upset me when he wouldn't answer questions.

"He should know better -- he has kids. I will never get answers to my questions now."

She said the family was still rebuilding its life one day at a time but she still missed Anthony dreadfully.

Witnesses said Mr Canning's Mazda car had been travelling between 40 and 50mph.

Accident investigator PC John Sutcliffe said tyre marks showed the car was doing a minimum speed of 38mph when he braked. The legal limit is 40mph.

He said: "The primary cause of the accident was due to the pedestrian entering the road while the vehicle was approaching."

A friend of Anthony's had reached the central reservation just before him. His friends denied in police interviews that they had been playing "chicken" or "dare" and said they were rushing because they wanted to get to a computer shop before it closed.

In a read out statement PC Michael Edwards said he had heard the car's tyres skidding before the collision which threw Anthony into the air.

Hilda Lancaster of Moseley Road, Burnley, had been walking behind the group of boys and said she thought at first Anthony had made it safely across, then she heard a thud.

She said the boys had been hesitating over crossing but when she saw Anthony run she "knew he had made a mistake."

Andrew Tibbs of Moorland Road, Burnley, was walking down Centenary Way and estimated the speed of the Mazda between 40 and 50mph.

The coroner said: "It appears that there has been a tragic set of circumstances. A number of questions will go unanswered. What we do know is that in an attempt to get across the road Anthony made a judgement that maybe was at the time misplaced. We have a driver going faster than 38mph and it is inevitable he was going faster than that, but we will never know what speed that was."