Perth teen suffers horrific injuries in off-road bike crash at Mundaring State Forest

A Perth teenager left fighting for life in a high-impact off-road bike crash now has an anxious wait to learn if damage to his sight will be career-ending or whether doctors can improve his vision.

Linden McQuire, 16, slammed into a tree while riding with his father and friends at Mundaring State Forest, a family favourite location east of the city, on August 31.

The group was all first-aid trained and did what they could as they waited anxiously for reinforcements.

One had to ride away to sound the alarm because there was no phone signal where the accident happened.

An ambulance transferred Linden to an area where the rescue chopper could land and he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital.

“You could tell by how he looked that he was in a bad way,” his mother, Toni McQuire, told 7NEWS.com.au.

‘Felt every bit of pain’

Linden was unconscious for 20 minutes before regaining his awareness.

“He felt every bit of pain. It was the most awful thing for myself and my husband to watch — no matter what relief they gave him, the pain didn’t go away,” Toni said.

Despite wearing the “best (safety) gear you could buy”, Linden’s injuries were extensive including fractures to his spine, skull, face and arm, and bleeding on the brain.

The accident also robbed him of most of his sight.

Linden spent six weeks at RPH, including three in the state trauma unit, before he was transferred to Sir Charles Gairdner, where he remains.

He has undergone seven surgeries, including four on his brain.

His mother and father, Alex, have remained by his bedside around the clock.

Toni has put her job as a support worker on hold to be with her son from 7am to 7pm while Alex covers the night shift, before heading to work as a farrier.

They were warned on the day he was injured to prepare for a “rollercoaster”, and say it has been an extremely trying period.

“Every time something positive happened, you’d go 10 steps back. You feel like you’re winning and then you worry that you might lose him in the night,” Toni said.

Linden, who has no memory of the crash, is now up on his feet, walking and talking with loved ones.

The family say it is the first time in more than two months they have been able to “breathe”.

Their attention now is on what they can do to improve his sight — he has almost no vision in his left eye and all peripheral vision on his right side is gone

Optometrists in Perth fear the damage is permanent, potentially ending the promising roofing apprentice’s career before it has really begun.

His “low vision” will also restrict him from driving.

The family is exploring options in Germany, where specialists are optimistic he can regain some of his visual field, “vastly improving his quality of life”.

The family is aiming to raise $50,000 for two trips to Berlin.

Toni said her boy is a “warrior” who has tackled every challenge with a positive attitude.

Even if his injuries have hit pause on his love for diving, boating and riding, he always looks on the bright side.

“As a mother, I’d like him to not have limitations, to be able to do what he wants to do, to go everywhere he wants,” Toni said.

“He’s focused on the positives — he’s really happy he’s here and alive.

“He says to me all the time that ‘at least I can see’.

“I don’t know if I could be as brave in his position.”