Samuel Koch

Samuel Koch (born 28 September 1987) is a German actor and former stunt performer. In 2010, during the filming of Wetten, dass..?, he was involved in an incident that resulted in his quadriplegia.

This article is about the German actor. For the American footballer, see Sam Koch. For the soccer coach, see Sam Koch (soccer).

Samuel Koch
Koch in 2023
Born (1987-09-28) 28 September 1987
Neuwied, Germany
Occupation(s)Actor, author
Years active2010–present
Spouse
Sarah Elena Timpe
​
(m. 2016)​

Since then, he has received recognition for his performances in the soap opera Storm of Love (2014) and the drama film Head Full of Honey (2014). He was a third assistant director on the war film 4 Days in May, in which he had a small role. He competed on The Masked Singer Germany in 2021.

Wetten, dass...? and spinal cord injury
Main article: Samuel Koch accident

On 4 December 2010, Koch was seriously injured during a segment of the entertainment show Wetten, dass..?

He took on a challenge to jump over five moving cars of gradually increasing size using spring-loaded boots. He successfully jumped the first and the third cars (the second one was aborted), but he failed to clear the fourth car, driven by his own father. Koch's head hit the windshield and he landed on the studio floor, fracturing two cervical vertebrae and damaging his spinal cord.[1][2][3]

Koch survived after emergency surgery, but as of 2011 he is permanently paralyzed from the neck down.[4] The episode was suspended and then taken off air about 20 minutes later, for the first time in the program's history. In the following episode, host Thomas Gottschalk announced his resignation, leaving after the last installment of the 2011 season.

Selected filmography
Koch (left) with Thomas Gottschalk who hosted the Wetten, dass..? episode where the incident occurred

See also

Notes
  1. Due to his accident during the filming of the series, the episode in which he appears is no longer broadcast.

References
  1. Peer Schader, "Unfall bei Wetten, dass: Ein Sturz, ein Schock und viele Fragen" ZDF Heute.de magazin. (4 December 2010) Retrieved 4 December 2010 (in German)
  2. "Contestant Samuel Koch" Yahoo News. (4 December 2010) Retrieved 4 December 2010
  3. "Warten auf ein Wunder". stern.de. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  4. "Gottschalk retires from "Wetten Dass" after accident with Samuel Koch". The Local – Germany's news in English. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
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