Cyclist Harry Webb, 27, was on the phone with his parents, thanking them for helping him move into his new flat, when he was hit and killed by a car in Hackney in September 2023.
Harry, a master's student at the London College of Contemporary Music, had moved in with a friend from university the morning of his death. His parents, Patricia and Mike, had driven four hours from their home in Crickhowell, Wales, to help their only child settle in.
Patricia told Metro: 'It was a boiling hot day, but we managed to get all of his stuff in. We then took him for lunch, and we said goodbye, thinking we were going to see in just a few days when he comes to visit home.'
The phone call that turned to silence
The couple drove home and were sitting on their patio when Harry rang. Using his hands-free device with his helmet on, he wanted to say thank you as he cycled from his new place.
'But then it all went silent,' Patricia said. Sensing something was wrong, the parents began screaming, hoping he would come back to the phone. Instead, a stranger began speaking to them.
Patricia said: 'They just said there had been a crash, and for a while all we could hear were sirens.'
Harry had been hit by Tiffany Treanor-Johnson, 27. She was driving at 53mph on a 20mph road and had inhaled nitrous oxide before getting behind the wheel of her Audi.
A desperate drive back to London
Despite travelling from Crickhowell to London and back that day, the parents jumped straight back in the car. During the drive, they received a call from Harry's surgeon, who told them to pull over before saying Harry did not have much time left.
Before midnight, they were back in London at their son's bedside. They stayed for another two days before Harry died.
Patricia said: 'It's so unfortunate his life was taken away from him. It's the stupidity of it all, which really upsets us.'
They described their son as 'incredibly bright, incredibly unique and incredibly loved'. He studied maths and philosophy at Bristol before deciding to do a master's in music production in London.
Driver jailed after leaving the scene
His mum said: 'He was a star pupil without trying. He got five A-Levels just because he wanted to do.' Harry was also a passionate cyclist, insisting he 'did not need a car in London' and was 'very safety conscious', always reminding people to wear helmets. Despite wearing his own, he suffered a serious head injury, and doctors removed part of his skull to ease swelling on his brain.
After Harry died, police showed his parents footage of the scene. Treanor-Johnson had left the scene and turned into a side street, hitting another car. Other drivers had to perform a police-style stop to get her to stop driving.
Treanor-Johnson was jailed for 10 years on Friday. She had initially denied causing death by dangerous driving before admitting her guilt in April this year.
In a statement outside court, Mike called for road crimes to be taken more seriously and enforcement to be stepped up. He said: 'Nobody should be killed cycling within a 20mph area in London, it is totally unacceptable. The ripples caused by his death have been immense for so many people unable to come to terms with this senseless road crime.'
Harry has been awarded his master's degree posthumously. 'He had his life planned out,' Patricia said. 'He was so happy. People warmed to him, because he was fearless but without any arrogance.' She added: 'So many people have come forward to say how much they loved him. He brough a dollop of generosity and sunshine to everything he did.'
