A DRINK driver killed after his car ploughed into a lamppost has left a priceless legacy for four strangers.

Stephen Male, from Poole, drank 12 pints of lager in the hours before his 5am crash on the A3049 Dorset Way.

His head injuries were so severe that medics made the heart-wrenching decision to turn off his life support eight days later.

But the 39-year-old former credit control worker, who was unemployed at the time of the accident, was a staunch supporter of the donor card scheme.

Speaking at Tuesday’s inquest in Bournemouth, grieving mum Janet Male said: “I loved my son very much.

“He did have a donor card and we know four people benefited from his death.

“They got to spend some quality time with their families at Christmas.”

She praised the efforts of medical staff at Southampton General Hospital, where her son died on November 9 last year.

Toxicology tests, taken six hours after the accident, showed Mr Male was still significantly over the legal drink/drive limit.

In the hours leading up to the horror smash he had twice driven his Ford Puma car – once to get more beer from a Branksome supermarket and once to go for a drink in Bournemouth town centre with friend and landlord Gary Browne.

On both occasions he would have been over the legal limit, it is believed.

Then, around 3am on November 1, he drove to a friend’s house in Herbert Avenue, Poole.

This friend, Jacqueline Longman, was woken by his drunken shouts.

She recalled: “He was kicking the back door and I could hear him shouting ‘Jack, let me in.’”

Afterwards he remained outside with his car stereo playing loudly for 20 minutes.

Before he sped off alone, she heard him say, “I can see a brick wall coming,” but thought nothing of it as he often made similar comments while under the influence, she told the court.

Dorset Police crash investigator PC Clifton Beard described the accident scene as “inconsistent with someone trying to hurt themselves”.

However, he did stress that the “grossly excessive amount of alcohol” could have impaired his driving ability.

Mr Male’s car span off the road, hit a grass verge and smashed into a lamppost.

The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death.