A WHEELCHAIR-RUGBY player, paralysed in a car crash as a teenager, will carry the Paralympic Torch today.
Jonathan Coggan, from South Woodham Ferrers, was left paralysed from the shoulders down after a car crash but summoned the courage to keep doing what he loves best – playing sport.
He said: "Carrying the torch is just the most amazing thing to be doing. I'm really excited about it and for me it's just a really big bonus.
"I can't really express how excited I am about the Paralympics and for it to be at home, in London, is just the most brilliant thing ever."
The 29-year-old former William De Ferrers pupil was nominated as a torch bearer by his father, Nigel, who himself was left with a broken jaw from the accident which happened on the A312 while he was driving his son to South Essex College.
After an operation to stabilise his spine, Jonathan, who was 16 at the time, spent a total of 11 months in hospital before starting on his path to become a Paralympian.
He will carry the torch in Trafalgar Square.
