A Safety Bay teenager has been left with severe spinal injuries after a freak motocross accident.
Ben Sainsbury was training for a WA competition last Monday when he was injured at his local track.
The West reports the 16-year-old was flung over his handlebars as he rode over a small jump and landed head-first.
His motorbike slammed into his back with the impact shattering two vertebrae and severely damaging his spinal cord.
Ben is now out of intensive care but the extent of the injury to his spine is not yet clear.
He can use his arms but cannot feel anything below his chest.
Elder sister Cassie Strebel told The West surgeons had inserted two rods to stabilise and realign Ben’s spine and they were waiting until swelling subsided.
“It’s a really unknown time."
The Year 11 student was wearing all his safety gear and his sister described the crash as a freak accident.
"Thank god he wore all that gear because if it wasn’t for that, we probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Mrs Strebel said.
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