WHEN Simon McKercher saw his nine-year-old son Kalan run over by a motorbike, he immediately feared the worst. Kalan was practising before what was due to be his first motorcross race last week at Blackwood, near Penguin, when he fell off. Before Kalan could get up, another rider ran over his neck and head, breaking both his collarbones and his jaw. Mr McKercher saw the whole incident unfold. ‘‘I ran like the wind,’’ he said. ‘‘I saw that the other bike was going to hit him and knew that he’d be hurt.’’ Kalan had to have a plate and wires inserted into his jaw at the Royal Hobart Hospital and is now recovering in the North West Regional Hospital. Mr McKercher said the fact that Kalan was wearing a helmet and body armour had made a huge difference. He said Kalan was recovering remarkably quickly, but was getting sick of eating puréed food. Kalan’s mother, Gianna Wadley, of Newstead, has ridden motorbikes for years, but said she felt wary about her son’s future in the sport. ‘‘He’s very keen to get back into it – he’s already put in a request for a new helmet,’’ she said. ‘‘He reckons this won’t stop him. ‘‘I don’t know how I’ll feel about him getting back on, but then I’ve had accidents in the past and I’ve never let it stop me.’’
