His mother said Nicolson loved racing and would build his own karts to travel to meets. <\/p>\n
Owen said the races were normally in a grass paddock, so there was \u201cno real danger of being in a serious accident because there\u2019s nothing to hit\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d never watched him do this before. Then I thought, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m going to go today,\u2019 because he asked me, \u2018Come watch, Mum \u2014 it\u2019ll be awesome.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Oh, I\u2019d love to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
After never having broken a bone in his life, he was thrown out of his kart after hitting a wall.<\/p>\n
The crash left him with multiple serious injuries. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe hit the wall and landed in front of me,\u201c Owen said. <\/p>\n
Ali Nicolson is now paralysed from the waist down after a grass kart crash. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
She said she ran to the fence and saw people starting to put up blue tarpaulins so onlookers couldn\u2019t see. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018Oh my God, it\u2019s my son\u2019… I just wanted to be right by him,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Owen said she sprinted to the other side of the track and pleaded to get access to her son. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey gave me a hi-vis, and I just ran across the track as fast as I could and got to him,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
She said her son had a compound fracture on his ankle, but was screaming about the \u201chorrific pain\u201d that was going through his back. <\/p>\n
Owen said he was asking to put his legs down while he was lying on the track, but \u201chis legs were down on the ground already, so he obviously couldn\u2019t feel them then,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Her son spent a few days in ICU in an induced coma and was later taken to the orthopedic trauma ward at Christchurch Hospital.<\/p>\n
Nicolson is being transferred to Burwood Hospital this afternoon, where he is set to begin specialist spinal rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have said to us it was a very severe injury and he highly likely won\u2019t walk again,\u201d Owen said. <\/p>\n
Owen said her son had a \u201cgood heart\u201d and even managed to organise a present for her birthday yesterday, despite everything that was going on. <\/p>\n
She said the crash strengthened the bond the pair already shared. <\/p>\n
\u201cI brought him up on my own really, and we\u2019re very close, I hate to say this, but this has brought us even closer … you know, scratching his back and feeding him, brushing his teeth,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Owen said her son was the kind of guy that everyone liked, and that he had spent years volunteering in Westport, teaching children how to safely use helmets and seatbelts when racing.<\/p>\n
Ali Nicolson was described as an all round “good bugger”. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u2018All-round good bugger\u2019<\/p>\n
Owen said his community has rallied around him and even spoke about pimping out his wheelchair. <\/p>\n
She said her son was a digger driver, and his boss was incredibly supportive, saying he would make a hydraulic device to help get him into the digger so that he could return to work one day.<\/p>\n
The Christchurch Grass Kart Club said Nicolson, who was a member, had no control over the outcome of the \u201cfreak incident\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not just part of the club, he\u2019s a mate, a Dad, son, and an all-round good bugger. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts are with Ali and his family, but also with the other Christchurch Grass Kart Club members who were sharing the track at the time,\u201d the club wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a tough bugger, but there\u2019s a long road ahead for Ali and his family,\u201d it wrote. <\/p>\n