A YOUNG man who rebuilt his life after being paralysed from the chest down in a horrific crash has been presented with a national award for his inspirational work.

Nic Kane, 21, suffered catastrophic spinal injuries after a car pulled out in front of his motorcycle and his parents were warned he probably would not live.

However, Nic who had qualified as a mechanic only the night before the crash, survived, and two years on spends his time helping others. He drives his own specially adapted vehicle and plays wheelchair rugby

Now he has been presented with the Inspirational Achievement Award for Young People at the Spinal Injuries Association national awards.

Nic, from Sandhutton, near Thirsk, said: "I really couldn’t believe it when they said I had won. Listening to other people’s stories, it makes me a lot more determined to work on peer support with other people who have suffered spinal injuries.

“I don’t see how I am an inspiration, I have just got on with it, there is no other way. If I had sat at home and screamed and cried that it is over and I can’t walk, what’s the point, I can’t walk but this is me and I am happy as I am.”

His mother Trish said: "It was astonishing, Nic was in the final three nominated but he never dreamed he would win.

"We are so proud of him, it has been an appalling time in so many ways, but he really is an inspiration. To him this was a new beginning, life was never going to be the same so he just decided to get on with it.

“The Spinal Injuries Association have been a massive help, they really are a huge support, that is why Nic wants to work with them as a counsellor and we want to raise money and spread the word about the job they do. I don’t know what we would have done without them.”

A spokesman for the Association said they look for people who have achieved above and beyond what could be expected.

“Nic’s approach to rebuilding his life and his work with wheelchair rugby and with the Spinal Injuries Association makes him a real inspiration, particularly for other young people.”

Readers of The Northern Echo and Darlington & Stockton Times helped raise £10,000 for an all terrain vehicle to help Nic get around following his release from hospital.