MORE than 150 motorbikes took part in a recent bike run to help raise funds for a man who was catastrophically injured in a collision in Graiguecullen in July after a stolen pickup truck ran over him at a set of traffic lights in an effort to evade the gardaí.
Kevin Collins, Sean Carter, Pat Maddock and Benny Murphy took part in the bike run in aid of Jackson Singh starting at The Pint Depot, Bagenalstown
Jackson Singh, who lives in Highfield Manor, Graiguecullen with his wife Hari Priya and their infant daughter Ellora, suffered serious injuries in the collision, including a bleed on the brain, facial fractures, broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and liver damage.
The organisers of the fundraising bike run: Megan Brennan, Mick Clarke, Patrick Brennan, Anita Walsh and Caroline and Dermot Ingram
He has already undergone extensive surgery and recently had another operation in Tallaght on 21 September.
He is now facing another period of intensive rehabilitation.
Jackson’s wife Hari with their daughter Ellora
The fundraiser’s organiser, Caroline Kavanagh Ingram, thanked all of the businesses in Carlow that provided prizes for the raffle, as well as the residents’ association in Highfield Manor.
In total, [insert figure when final count] was raised for Jackson and his family.
Jenny Doyle, Liam Ryan and Rory Doyle
Participants were treated to bright autumn sunshine as they set off from the Pint Depot at the Royal Oak, Bagenalstown shortly after 11am before enjoying light refreshments there following the run.
Bikes and Banter, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts in Carlow, provided all of the marshals for the run to ensure things that went smoothly and safely, while Rice Recovery provided breakdown recovery free of charge throughout the afternoon.
The fundraiser gets underway
Hari Priya and Jackson first moved to Carlow in 2022. The couple, who are from Chennai in southern India, first met in tenth grade at school. They welcomed their first child Ellora nine months ago and she was baptised only three days before Jackson’s accident.
Speaking to The Nationalist earlier this month, Hari Priya said the support of the local community in Graiguecullen and the wider Carlow area has given her the “strength” to keep going.
“I am surviving because of them. They give me the mental and physical strength. My neighbours and friends have turned into my extended family,” she said.
So far, a GoFundMe page set up by Caroline has raised almost €55,000. To donate, visit ‘Fundraiser for Hari Priya Kuber Singh’.
