Teen back on his feet after paralysing crash

Scott MacDonald's ATV bike has been modified so he can operate it without the use of his legs. Photo / Alan Gibson

A 17-year-old has returned to motor racing two years after a crash that snapped two vertebrae and paralysed his legs.

Even when he was in intensive care, he says, he never believed people telling him that he wouldn't be able to walk or ride again.

Scott MacDonald will compete in the New Zealand ATV Championships this weekend at Pirini Park, near Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty.

Two years ago, Scott was wrapping up practice for the day when he took one last jump on his motorbike.

He was a 14-year-old on his summer holidays, just a week away from his first race, saving his new $300 boots for the debut.

He doesn't remember the fall, but he woke up on his back with concerned family around him and a helicopter flying in.

Scott was airlifted to intensive care and was in and out of consciousness for three days. He stayed in hospital for almost five months.

He had surgery to fuse two vertebrae and received medical advice that he would likely never get back on his feet or a bike again. Scott's determination has overcome both obstacles.

"From day one when people told me that I'd say, 'I'll walk. I'll ride again'," he said.

After two years of hard physio, Scott hopped back on a motorbike in January, using a broomstick as a gear shift. He felt wobbly at first but once he got up to speed it was totally "sweet".

Now he has swapped two-wheelers for quadbikes, and is preparing to race against riders from all over the country this weekend, dusting off the boots he never got to use before the accident.

Scott has recovered enough to walk again - with the help of advanced leg stimulators - for short periods of time. He uses crutches at home, a wheelchair when he is out and walks on his own during workouts.