A young man has raised £1,000 in a week in a mission to buy himself a new leg.

As revealed in the Messenger last week, James Hazel suffered horrific injuries when he crashed his Suzuki motorbike on the A2.

The keen sportsman was hit by a tractor, a lorry, a van and a car and broke a number of bones as well as puncturing a lung.

One leg was so badly smashed that, while he was in an induced coma, doctors amputated it above the knee.

Aged 21, James, of Knockhall Road, Greenhithe, spent months in a wheelchair but is determined to get back to an active lifestyle and has now raised more than £4,000 towards a hi-tech leg with a hefty £70,000 price tag.

With it, James, now 24, is hoping to one day be able to run and ski again.

His current NHS prosthetic does not support any weight when bent so is useless on slopes, steps or uneven ground, so he finds life easier to manoeuvre just by using crutches.

Despite that, he is booked to take part in a Spartan Sprint race at London’s Olympic Park. On April 9 he will have to negotiate mud and obstacles over a 5km distance.

A boxing tournament, with 20 amateur English and Irish fighters is also being held as a fundraiser in Gillingham on March 20. He said: “I’ve had some more donations after the article in last week’s paper, which is great, and I’m also looking at charity grants.”

Insurance worker James has applied to The Insurance Charities, which help people in the business who go through physical, emotional or financial traumas.

It will be considered on February 11 and may mean James gets another boost to his running total.

You can sponsor James or support his events on Go Fund Me.

Kelsea Little, of GoFundMe.com, said: “James’s determination to lead an active life has clearly struck a chord with many people, and it’s fantastic to see that over £4,000 has been pledged to fund his life-changing prosthetic.

“We wish him all the best with reaching his target.”

To stay up to date with his progress and fundraisers on Twitter, follow @jamesmhazel