Mother left unable to speak and needing 24-hour care after teen crashed while filming himself driving with no hands
26 November 2024, 11:39 | Updated: 26 November 2024, 11:47
A mother was paralysed from the neck down - leaving her unable to eat, speak or even hug her young son - after a teenager driver crashed into her while attempting to film himself driving with no hands.
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Catherine Davies, 52, "will never breathe for herself" after 19-year-old George Taylor collided with her Skoda Fabia while recording himself overtaking other drivers as he drove with his knees on January 18 last year.
Following the crash, the victim was left unable to speak or breathe independently, requiring around-the-clock care and unable to ever hug her 10-year-old son again.
Appearing in court on Tuesday, Mr Taylor was jailed for two years and two months for his reckless driving.
Taylor of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, used his phone "throughout the journey" and recorded five videos in total, which showed him driving his Volkswagen Golf at high speed using only his knees to steer the vehicle.
The defendant had also made two phone calls and sent a text messages whilst behind the wheel prior to the crash at around 11am on the day in question.
Man jailed for dangerous driving after leaving a woman paralysed
Police revealed that Taylor, a father-to-be who is expecting his first child in February, had held his licence for less than 12 weeks at the time of the accident.
At around 11am, he crashed into the back of a Ms Davies' vehicle, as she waited to turn right on the A47 at East Tuddenham, near Norwich.
In a victim impact statement, Catherine's father revealed she had been dating a new partner at the time of the accident, with the pair looking to buy a house together.
He added: "She will never breathe for herself again. She will never taste food again. She will never be able to hug her son again.
Taylor stood alone in the court after failing to qualify for representation via legal aid .
Asked whether he'd like to say anything to the family, he said: "I would like to apologise."
"I know it does not bear much in the situation and I know it won't change anything.
"I wish I had never got a licence and had never got a car. I cannot say anything more than sorry."
In a statement released via the force, Catherine's family said she "has always been such a gregarious person with a great sense of humour and so full of life".
They added: "I'll never forget that day when we were told she had been in an accident and then arriving at the hospital to be facing the reality that we may lose her."
To hear that my only daughter may not survive was heartbreaking and, as her dad, all I wanted to do was make everything better for her."
Taylor was sentenced to two years and two months in prison at Norwich Crown Court on Monday.
The teenager was also banned from driving for 40 months and told he must take an extended driving test before he can drive again.
Sergeant Callum Walchester said that Taylor "didn't set out... intending to cause unimaginable injuries to another person but sadly that is exactly what he did".
He added: "George Taylor made multiple decisions to use his mobile phone that day and in doing so put himself and everyone else at significant risk.
"It was Catherine who has paid the price."
