Jess Battison
In January 2023, George Taylor used his phone nine times before crashing his car.
And Catherine Davies was left paralysed as a result of the 19-year-old’s Volkswagen Golf going into the back of her Skoda.
With the teen now having been sentenced, Davies’ dad has made a heartbreaking admission about his grandson, the victim’s son.
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Norfolk Police said Taylor failed to see Davies waiting to turn ahead when he crashed into her after having been driving with his knees.
The mum in her 40s suffered a cardiac arrest as an off-duty paramedic on the scene carried out life-saving care before she was taken to hospital.
No longer able to independently breathe, the fitness instructor was left paralysed from the neck down and now requires lifelong care.
Her dad, Jeremy, spoke out during Taylor’s sentencing. He told the court: “As a result of this accident, Catherine’s life has been utterly devastated. She will never breathe for herself again, let alone feel anything from the neck down.
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"She will never taste food again, she will always struggle to communicate.”
Heartbreakingly, he went on to add that the woman will ‘never be able to hug her son again’, who was nine years old at the time of the crash.
“She may not be able to work. She now requires 24-hour care,” he added.
Taylor was jailed for two years and two months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Having had his license for less than 12 weeks when the crash took place, he has now been banned from driving for 40 months and must pass an extended driving test before getting behind the wheel again.
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A statement from Davies’ family read: “Catherine has always been such a gregarious person with a great sense of humour and so full of life. She had a strong work ethic and would put her hand to anything and everything. She also dotes on her son.
“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.
“The past 22 months have been traumatic and while I can’t change anything, I hope that by speaking out I can make others aware of what can happen on the roads.
"Catherine’s life was changed in a split second, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. My focus now is to help Catherine and her son as much as I can to make their lives as comfortable as possible.”