A family friend of a young man who was left paralyzed following a motorbike accident are pulling out all the stops to help get him the best equipment to assist him in his new life on wheels.
Bleary’s Jack Watt (19) suffered the life-changing injuries when he crashed his motorbike just outside Katesbridge on his way to a routine visit to his favourite seaside town, Newcastle.
Speaking to Armagh I, his father Norman explained that Jack lives with autism and ADHD and, while it was hard for he and his wife to see their son taking to two wheels, they also knew it was beyond them to stop him.
As a twin, when his sister Ruby passed her test and got a car, it was only fair that Jack got his own set of wheels too.
He used his bike three or four times a week to travel up and down to Newcastle. So when, on November 6, 2025, he sent a text to say that was where he was heading, no one batted an eyelid.
Norman had returned home from work at 12.30pm and then the phone rang with a strange number at 12.45pm. It was a phone call that he and his wife will never forget.
A passerby informed them that they had come upon their son in an accident. Jack had been in and out of consciousness and managed to relay his mum’s number during an intermittent moment of awareness.
When Norman arrived on scene, he found the road closed, his son lying on the cold tarmac with police officers and passersby gathered around him. But no ambulance.
“His helmet was smashed to pieces,” said Norman. “He knew himself, he was paralyzed. He said, ‘I can’t feel my legs’, he told us he couldn’t breathe and he had a burning sensation around his chest.”
They waited an agonizing two-and-a-half hours for the ambulance to arrive. When they did, they called immediately for Air Ambulance assistance but, as it was attending another incident, they instead called for support from another mobile unit.
Jack was rushed to The Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. There, they discovered he had two punctured lungs, a broken leg, three broken vertebrae and spinal damage.
When they arrived a team of consultants were waiting… but so were a film crew!
Said Norman: “They were filming for A&E After Dark. They asked Jack for permission and he said, ‘yeah’!”
“He’s loving it,” laughed Norman. “They did a wee clip about his accident and his injuries and then life in the wheelchair.”
It may seem a light-heartedness juxtaposed to the gravity of the situation they were facing at the time, but, Jack’s attitude is so upbeat, positive and optimistic that no other response could really be expected of him.
Despite undergoing five days in intensive care, eight hours in surgery, seven weeks on the spinal unit in The Royal and seven weeks in Musgrave Rehabilitation Centre all to be told “there’s nothing we can do”, Jack never once complained.
He got home from hospital the day before his 19th birthday… adamant that he wanted out.
Said Norman: “He hasn’t once said ‘I’ll not be able to do this’, he says all the time what he wants to do.
“He had everyone in the spinal unit in stitches, he’s a headcase! It just made it so much easier for us as parents too.”
He still wants to go back to SRC when he’s able and has dreams of being a mechanic. But, Norman says his ultimate dream is to get himself a trike and to “get back onto the road and go up and down to Newcastle like he used to”.
Through their journey they met a local man called Davy Kerr who works for a charity called ‘Back Up’. Davy had a similar accident to Jack and rode his trike all over Europe. His story has inspired Jack to think ahead and get back in the saddle!
“It’s been really tough,” admitted Norman. “We are just an average working class family but Jack’s attitude has made it easier for us. We are just thinking to the future now and trying to make sure he can do everything he wants to.”
Aiming to help make Jack’s dreams a reality, family friend Stephanie Devlin has committed to focusing all fundraising events at Resurgence Gym, Lurgan to the benefit of Jack and his family.
Explaining the mission, Stephanie said: “Most of you know Normie Watts, a long-standing member of the gym. In November, his son Jack was involved in a serious motorbike accident that has changed his family’s lives forever.
“The RTF community would like to show our support for Normie and his family. This year, all of our fundraising events will be dedicated to helping Normie during this incredibly difficult and life-changing time.”
Giving a mention to the RTF Powerlifting community, Stephanie said they had already organised an event and raised over £300!
She continued: “Our next fundraiser will be an In-House Powerlifting Competition taking place on 30th May, with more details to follow soon.
“There will also be raffles and prizes, so keep an eye on the page for updates!”
Norman said Jack continues to be very active and independent in his wheelchair around Bleary village. He frequently takes trips to a local ice-cream shop with a close friend.
Currently, his chair is heavy and cumbersome. People in the local area are often seen giving him a little push to help him along his way! And while every bit of support is appreciated, there is a motorised attachment for Jack’s chair that would allow him much greater independence.
The price of the attachment is between £3,000 and £4,000. If they were able to purchase the attachment for Jack they would then look to raising funds for a light-weight chair that Norman says would be a “life-changing” piece of equipment.
A new light-weight chair could cost in the region of £10,000 and so every single penny in donations will be vital.
Stephanie set up a GoFundMe page which will continue to take in donations throughout the year. So far an impressive £2,700 has already been raised towards Jack’s motorised attachment.
Updates regarding fundraising events can be found on Resurgence Training Facility’s Facebook page here.
Also, details of Jack’s appearance in the Channel Five TV show A&E After Dark are not yet available, but he’d love it if readers kept an eye out!
You can make a contribution to Jack’s GoFundMe page here.
