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A single mistake | How another person's error cost a motorcyclist his ability to walk

"I just don't want anyone to go through what I had to go through. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, I really wouldn't."

It only took one driver's error to take away a part of the life Connor Willaford knew.

The 22-year-old motorcyclist was struck by another driver as he sat in his driveway in 2017. That single instant cost him the ability to walk.

"You never think it will happen to you. And before my accident I know I was guilty of it, I think everybody is," Willaford said.

Now, he and his girlfriend, Ambria Derry are using his tragedy as a teachable moment - and cautioning what could happen after one errant decision behind the wheel.

"To me, it has a whole new meaning now," Willaford said. "It can change your life, in just a second - every aspect of my life has changed."

He and Derry have been a strong voice against distracted driving - something a new Georgia law is designed to prevent. The new law bans motorists from holding cellphones and other mobile devices while driving, Georgia has become the sixteenth state to sign this type of bill into law.

"You just never think it's going to happen to you, let alone the closest person to you," Derry said.

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It's been a long road to recovery for the young man. He had multiple broken bones in the wreck and, with paralysis from the waist down, will never walk again.

So part of that recovery, they hope, will be a new truck he can drive with just his hands. It's an effort to allow Willaford to continue his journey - and regain that part of his freedom he lost one year before.

For now, though, even once simple tasks like getting in the car are extremely difficult.

"I have to help lift him up and over the tire to get into the car ... get his feet in," Derry said. "He'll have to strap in his legs."

Officers never found proof that the person who hit Willaford was distracted. But, it hasn't lessened their commitment to bringing an end to the practice - or their belief that it was the likely cause.

"Thinking about it, it was daylight outside, all my lights worked, it was a straight road, it's not like she came around the corner and I surprised her. It's a straight shot," he said.

Whatever the cause, this new normal has a young couple struggling to adjust - and hoping no one else has to go through that change.

"I just don't want anyone to go through what I had to go through," Willaford said. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, I really wouldn't."

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