His pleas for help were answered by a doctor, police officer and firefighter who were left with no choice but to amputate both of his legs above the knee with a pocket knife and borrowed hacksaw in order to free him from the wreckage.
Today, he is using his experience to help others who have suffered a similar fate to him as a peer support volunteer for the New Zealand Artificial Limb Service.
About 4400 people across the country have amputations with 400-450 new amputations occurring each year.
Mr Coker, alongside 56 other trained peer support volunteers throughout the country, uses his experience to aide those facing or adjusting to an amputation.
“We are there to act as a source of support. As someone who has been on a similar journey, it is about saying there is life after amputation because it can be a bit of a downward spiral for some people, especially if they lead quite active lifestyles,” he said.
“Before amputation people tend to think on about all the stuff they can’t do after amputation, I try and focus on the things you can do.”
Mrs Coker thought it was important the concerns of partners were acknowledged throughout the process, which encouraged her to volunteer as part of the service.
The couple has provided support to about eight people since the service launched in August.
New Zealand Artificial Limb Service chief executive Sean Gray said the organisation wanted to celebrate volunteers like Mr Coker and Mrs Coker as part of National Volunteer Week this week.
“We know from research and professional opinion that access to good peer support can enhance an amputees quality of life and help them understand what can be expected from the changes they are going through,” he said.
He has ambition to return to New York and finish the marathon in under two hours with an interest in one day completing the London and Boston marathons in the future.
