Crumlin racer wants life back

revealing he has ‘no feeling in his arm’ after he was injured at the North West 200 in May.

On Facebook the road racer said he had ‘no feeling at all’ in one arm but he longed to have his old life back and would love nothing more than to get racing again.

The broken bones he suffered in the Portstewart crash were healing, he said on Facebook, but he added: “My main concern is I have no feeling in my arm at all. I am hopeful something can be done but it’s going to take a long time.”

The 39-year-old was seriously injure as he tried to avoid a fallen rider during the North West. He suffered a collapsed lung, bleeding on the brain, brachial plexus injury, broken left forearm and shattered hand.

His forearm was plated and a cage was put around the hand, whereby it was pinned and wired.

Specialists in Dublin are planning to operate on his arm this week, transferring nerves from his chest area to connect them from the neck to the arm, so giving him some movement in the top part of his arm.

Thompson, who remains in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, with occasional visits home, was making his first public comment since the crash. “I’m lying here thinking all I want is my old life back, “ he said, “going to work, racing my bike and back home to my family and I would be very happy.

“I’m still going to be in hospital for a few weeks yet with doing physio every day and I have a few wounds that need treated every other day, but I’m very thankful to be here as I know things were not good for me.”

A fund has been set up to raise money to help aid Thompson’s treatment.

Three riders were involved in the North west crash, in which spectator Violet McAfee also sustained head and leg injuries.

Liechtenstein rider Horst Saigar sustained a broken arm.

Englishman Dean Harrison escaped injury.