Man Severely Injured in Mahwah Motorcycle Crash Back in Hospital

A Wayne man who suffered a severe spinal cord injury when he crashed his motorcycle in Mahwah last September is still recuperating, and Wayne residents are now asking locals to help the man pay for his ongoing recovery.

Sid Kirby, 50, a Wayne resident and employee with the town’s Department of Public Works, lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle as he proceeded through a curve on the bend of a dangerous intersection, police said in September. He hit a guardrail and was thrown 40 feet from his motorcycle onto a resident’s lawn, Mahwah police said.

Mahwah police said Kirby was intoxicated when he was driving. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.

He suffered extensive injuries to his lower extremities and a head injury, Mahwah police reported. According to a NorthJersey.com report, Kirby was left paralyzed from the waist down and with serious injuries to his arms, as well.

A Mahwah Municipal Court representative said this week that the drunk driving charges against Kirby were dismissed because of the critical nature of the injuries he sustained in the accident. The charges were never heard in Mahwah Municipal Court.

Kirby was in the hospital for 10 weeks following the accident and went to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange.

After the accident, "Kirby was airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was put into a semi-coma per his injuries that include two broken vertebrae," NorthJersey.com reported. "He was then transported to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange where he got several bed sores and was sent back to HUMC for treatment where he currently remains."

Grasshopper Too in Wayne will host a benefit for Kirby this Thursday, Jan. 31.

A portion of sales at the Grasshopper from 5 to 10 p.m. will be donated to Kirby and his family to help pay for the continued medical expenses.

Tom Fitzpatrick, owner of Grasshopper Too, could not be reached for comment.

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