Drink-driver left Wakefield officer fearing for life

PC Stephen Wales said 10 seconds was all it took to "change his life forever"

A police officer who was hit by a drink-driver feared his children would be left without a father.

PC Stephen Wales, of West Yorkshire Police, was injured while attending a disturbance on Westgate in Wakefield in July.

Karolina Serafin, 25, from Worksop, mounted the kerb and ploughed into a group of people, seriously injuring PC Wales and two members of the public.

She was later jailed for three years and eight months.

"I've got two young girls, a six-year-old and a four-year-old, and I honestly thought that night that those two young girls were going to be left without a dad," PC Wales said.

Karolina Serafin was jailed for three years and eight months

PC Wales had been on duty in Wakefield when he noticed a disturbance at the bottom of Westgate at about 01:25 BST on 11 July.

"No sooner had I jumped out of my van I was just hit by an almighty bang and thrown through the air," he said.

PC Wales ended up in the middle of the road and soon realised how seriously injured he was.

"My right leg was bent the wrong way and I could feel blood running from my leg.

"I was just in extreme pain, pain that I can't describe, and all I wanted to do at that point was to go home and see my children, but I knew that wasn't going to happen for a very long time."

The officer was in hospital for a month with knee and right leg fractures and was not the only person left with life-changing injuries.

A 30-year-old man suffered multiple injuries to his head, arm and leg, and had to have the lower part of his left leg removed at the knee and a mother-of-two lost her lower left leg.

PC Wales received serious leg injuries in the incident

The driver, Serafin, was later found to be twice the legal drink-drive limit.

In addition to her jail term for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, she was also banned from driving for seven years and ten months at Leeds Crown Court in November.

PC Wales said he was living proof of the "catastrophic" consequence of drink or drug-driving.

"Ten seconds is all it took to change my life forever and that of those other two people, our lives are changed forever."