Teen driver texted and made videos on phone before crash leaving a mum paralysed

George Taylor, 19, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, made telephone calls and 5 videos earlier crashing into a car driven by Catherine Davies, a fittingness instructor, who was near paralysed

A teen operator filmed himself driving astatine velocity utilizing his knees to steer earlier crashing into a car leaving a pistillate paralysed from the cervix down.

George Taylor, 19, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for 2 years and 2 months aft pleading blameworthy to causing superior wounded by dangerous driving. He was besides disqualified from driving for 40 months and told helium indispensable instrumentality an extended driving trial earlier helium tin thrust again.

Norwich Crown Court heard however Taylor, who had held his licence for little than 12 weeks, had been driving a achromatic VW Golf connected the A47, astatine astir 11am connected Wednesday, January 18 past year. He failed to spot a Skoda Fabia waiting to crook close successful beforehand of him and collided with the rear of the vehicle.

Catherine Davies, a fittingness teacher successful her 40s who was driving the Skoda, suffered a cardiac apprehension and she was fixed lifesaving attraction by an disconnected work paramedic and officers until she was taken to hospital. A mum of a nine-year-old lad astatine the clip of the crash, she has been near paralysed from the cervix down and requires lifelong attraction including ventilation for breathing.

Analysis of Taylor’s mobile telephone recovered that helium had been utilizing it passim his journey, including making 2 calls, sending 1 substance and signaling 5 videos. These videos showed him driving astatine velocity and overtaking different vehicles whilst utilizing his knees connected his steering wheel. One of the radical helium was connected the telephone to had go truthful acrophobic that they warned him to stop, the tribunal was told.

Her begetter Jeremy told the court: “As a effect of this accident, Catherine’s beingness has been utterly devastated. She volition ne'er respire for herself again, fto unsocial consciousness thing from the cervix down. She volition ne'er sensation nutrient again, she volition ever conflict to communicate. She volition ne'er beryllium capable to hug her lad again. She whitethorn not beryllium capable to work. She present requires 24-hour care.”

And a connection from the household of the unfortunate read: “Catherine has ever been specified a gregarious idiosyncratic with a large consciousness of humour and truthful afloat of life. She had a beardown enactment ethic and would enactment her manus to thing and everything. She besides dotes connected her son.

“I’ll ne'er hide that time erstwhile we were told she had been successful an accident, and past arriving astatine the infirmary to beryllium facing the world that we whitethorn suffer her. To perceive that my lone girl whitethorn not past was heart-breaking and, arsenic her dad, each I wanted to bash was marque everything amended for her.

“The past 22 months person been traumatic and portion I can’t alteration anything, I anticipation that by speaking retired I tin marque others alert of what tin hap connected the roads. Catherine’s beingness was changed successful a divided second, and I wouldn’t privation that connected anyone. My absorption present is to assistance Catherine and her lad arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin to marque their lives arsenic comfy arsenic possible.”

Speaking aft Taylor's sentencing, pb investigating officer, Sgt Callum Walchester, said: “This is simply a profoundly tragic lawsuit which, similar galore collisions, could person been wholly avoidable. George Taylor didn’t acceptable retired connected the greeting of 18th January intending to origin unimaginable injuries to different idiosyncratic but sadly that is precisely what helium did.

“Catherine was a acceptable and steadfast parent who now, arsenic a effect of Taylor’s actions, volition unrecorded retired the remainder of her beingness paralysed and requiring lifelong attraction and support. Catherine and her household person agreed for america to archer her communicative to item the dangers that utilizing a mobile telephone poses, successful the anticipation that nary 1 other is successful their position. This is testament to their spot and outlook and for that, I convey them.

“George Taylor made aggregate decisions to usage his mobile telephone that time and successful doing truthful enactment himself and everyone other astatine important risk. It was Catherine who has paid the price. The usage of a mobile telephone is 1 of the fatal 4 offences. It is distracting and enactment simply, it’s dangerous. It doesn’t substance what you are utilizing it for, you are putting each roadworthy idiosyncratic is astatine risk.

“It is due to the fact that of incidents similar this that we enforce not lone mobile telephone offences, but each the fatal four. People often deliberation it volition ne'er hap to them, but we spot each excessively often however rapidly beingness tin alteration due to the fact that of this benignant of offending.

“Incidents similar these are indiscriminate, they tin hap to anyone, astatine immoderate time. It doesn’t substance however bully of a operator you whitethorn deliberation you are - if you are utilizing your mobile phone, you are risking the beingness of each roadworthy idiosyncratic you encounter.

“Please, if you instrumentality thing other from this message, delight ticker the video and ticker however rapidly things tin alteration and realise the precise existent consequences, please, conscionable think.”