Young motorcross rider still recovering one year after near-fatal crash

Wyatt McQuinn rides a dirt bike on a track. (Source: Jason Bowie Photography)

Wyatt McQuinn is lucky to be alive and his whole family knows it.

The 15-year-old motorcross rider crashed on the last lap of the last race of the season on Sept. 19, 2021, at Riverglade Motorcross in Salisbury, N.B.

Wyatt's parents watched from the stands, as he lay motionless on the track.

"I noticed other racers that were behind him come out of the other side [of the race track corner] and I was just wondering where he was," said his father Sean. "At that point, we knew something had happened. We weren't sure how bad it was, but it ended up being pretty bad."

His mother Marsha knew it was bad too.

"I used to work ambulance, so I knew that this was not good and I was mom, I wasn't a medic, or helping or anything at that point, just mom. I started to panic because I knew how bad it was. I truly wasn't sure if he would survive," said Marsha.

Wyatt only remembers the day before the crash.

"I don't remember anything about that day, but I remember where we were parked and stuff and that's pretty much it," said Wyatt.

He suffered major head trauma with bleeding in his brain, fractures in his back, and was taken to the Moncton Hospital.

"I'll never forget what they told us, the doctors in emergency shortly after they brought us in, that it wasn't day-by-day, or hour-by-hour, it was minute-by-minute. We didn't know if he would survive," said Marsha.

After a few days, the McQuinns knew their son would live, but didn't know what his quality of life would be like. They didn't know if Wyatt would ever walk, talk or see again.

Weeks later, Wyatt showed improvement and eventually was able to walk down the halls of the hospital, much to the surprise and delight of the staff there.

"When he first spoke, he said ‘mom’ and it was the best sound ever, because we didn't know if he'd talk again. And I just cried like a baby," said Marsha.

After six weeks in hospital and a few more at the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton, Wyatt returned to his home in Killams Mills near Petitcodiac.

He isn't allowed to ride a motorcycle, and hockey is out of the question for now, but the 16-year-old is back at Petitcodiac Regional School.

Wyatt is recovering, but a long road remains ahead of him. He's still having trouble with his eyesight and his depth perception.

Almost immediately after the crash, and while recovering, a “Wyatt Strong” community fundraising and social media campaign was launched. Wyatt received messages of support from his friends, family and people from around the world.

A banner used on the GoFundMe page to raise money for Wyatt's recovery. (Source: GoFundMe)

"At first, I didn't even realize I was getting all that attention. When I got out [of the hospital], it was a little overwhelming, but it wasn't too bad. I liked the support," said Wyatt.

Sean says motorcross is a fast, aggressive sport.

"It's somewhat dangerous. You know, sooner or later there's going to be an accident. You hope it's a broken arm or a broken leg. You hope it's not something like that crash," said Sean.

Wyatt says the appeal of the sport is the thrill and the adrenaline rush.

"It's quite crazy, flying around the track and hitting the jumps. It's pretty exciting," said Wyatt.

So, will he ever ride motorcross again?

"I'm hoping not," laughed his father. "He's not going to for the time being for sure. Once he gets to be 18, he can make his own decisions."

Next up for the McQuinn family is a trip to Denver, Colo., at the end of the month for more treatment for Wyatt.

The recovery process will be a long race, but the whole family is optimistic he'll make a full recovery.