Driver jailed for watching TikTok videos when he hit and paralysed a firefighter cycling to work
Samuel Powell, 29, was also banned from driving for two years after his release and must pass an extended retest before returning to the road.Liam Coffill, the Watford firefighter left with no feeling below his belly button, had been cycling to a shift at Garston Fire Station when Samuel Powell's vehicle struck him in August 2023.
Liam Coffill, 25, was cycling to a shift at Garston Fire Station when he was struck on Watford's A41. He came round in agony, realising he 'couldn't move my legs'. His spinal cord was broken, and now, at 28, he has no sensation below his belly button and will rely on a wheelchair for life. Samuel Powell, 29, of Luton, denied causing serious injury by dangerous driving, forcing a two-day trial.
Detective Constable James McAlister hopes the sentence serves 'as a warning to others about the devastating consequences'.
'Your life doesn't have to stop,' says firefighter Liam Coffill, now aiming to complete a duathlon.
Hertfordshire Constabulary's 'A Split Second' campaign targets the 'fatal five', including using a handheld device while driving.
