James Wilson was blasting down a highway near Reno, Nevada, five years ago this week on a Yamaha racing motorcycle when the bike left the road and clipped a sign. A police report later estimated Wilson’s speed at 100 to 140 mph.
It was in the wee hours of the morning of Oct. 29, 2018. Wilson was still wearing a “Robin” suit from a Halloween weekend party the evening before. After about 12 hours, he was found by hikers and airlifted to a Reno hospital.
The collision crushed his collarbone and partially severed his spinal cord — injuries that would leave him hospitalized in Nevada and Alabama for months. Years later, he is still inching his way back to normalcy. He describes himself as a “functional quadriplegic” after more than one doctor told him he would never walk again.
“I’ve always been a thrill-seeker, an adrenaline junkie,” said Wilson, 49, who recently moved to Chattanooga from Foley, Alabama.
In an interview last week, Wilson said he came to the city earlier this month to attend the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival and decided to put down roots. He doesn’t drive, so he said he was looking for a place where stores and services were more accessible for a disabled person than in the Alabama town where he lived.