MSS Colchester Kawasaki's Stuart Easton has said he remembers everything about the Northwest 200 practice crash which left him in a hospital bed with broken legs, pelvis and internal injuries but, three weeks later, is able to laugh at the memory of arguing with the first marshal on the scene.

Easton, who is still in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, spoke to bikesportnews.com last night, a day before he goes under the knife again to fix damage to his hand sustained in an accident the Hawick man freely admits could have been the end of him.

Here, Easton tells the story of the crash, and the road to recovery so far, in his own words:

"I was conscious through the whole thing, I remember everything about the crash. I came out of Mill Road roundabout with the Ducatis plus me and Gary (Mason, team-mate) and you go up through the gears flat out and there's a slight right hand bend but as your speed picks up it becomes more of a corner.

"As I hooked up through the gears, Gary's bike just slowed in front of me. I was like 'whoa' and had to stay even more to the right, and I remember just clipping him and I must have been not far away from missing him.

"I can't remember hitting anything but I remember sliding up the road and tumbling and sliding some more for what felt like forever. When I stopped, I was breathing ok, my head was ok which was a big bonus and then I got up on to one elbow, picked my head up but my body just stayed on the road.

"Then I kinda panicked a little bit and then John on the medic bike came along and gave me a big injection and the next thing was intensive care. I remember having an argument with Norman from Silkolene (the first marshal on the scene) about wanting to go to sleep and he shouted at me to stay awake. It's a funny memory now but it wasn’t at the time.

"I'm up and down to be honest. Some days I'm comfy and quite ok, some day s I feel agitated or in a bit of pain or just tired. The first week was pure hell because I was still broken and I had to just lie here because I had lost a lot of blood.

"The first operation was pretty much a lifesaver because my bowel had ruptured, there was a lot of blood loss so it was a bit of a mess internally plus I had all the breaks so they did an emergency op and I woke up in intensive care feeling like I have never felt before.

"That was the start of the hell really. I lay there for a week on morphine-based drugs that gave me terrible nightmares about being thrown out of aircraft and Gremlins and random things like that. I had to get off it as fast as possible as they weren't doing my mind any good at all.

"Having the main operation to get the femur and pelvis fixed was a huge step forward because I felt like my body was attached again rather than being in bits. That was ten days ago and I feel like I'm getting towards comfortable now.

"I don't know how long I will be here because the doctors won't transfer me if there are any doubts whatsoever about my condition. I have to be totally stable before I leave here and go to a hospital in Edinburgh.

"I'm lying here thinking now that I was just six points off the BSB series lead and the last race at Croft I came through from tenth to finish second, I did a good job and then it all went horribly wrong. I was whingeing on to the doctors about that and they just told me I had just had my life saved. It's only sinking in now it could have been fatal, I'm very lucky.

"Claire has been really strong the whole time, well, she has been whenever I have seen her that's for sure. She has been by my side every single day and I have a lot to thank her for.

"The support I have received has been unbelievable. I would like to say a massive thanks to all my supporters and well-wishers. I've had cards flooding into the hospital ward, a dozen a day at least, letters from people offering Claire somewhere to stay while she is here, it's been overwhelming.

"I've got to thank everyone at the hospital, the medical team at the track, all three surgeons who operated on me all day, John Hines who was on the track medical bike. He is a doctor and a racer and he has been in a few times. I look forward to him coming in. I have to thank Toby Branfoot too for all his support and advice.

"That first week I was done and over riding motorbikes. I was thinking what I could do away from them until Paul (Bird) came in and made me the offer for 2012 and in the last few days I have been watching the TT on telly and MotoGP. I've realised my love for motorbikes again.

"Hopefully once I've started my rehab and physio and I'm in a wheelchair I want to come back to races, maybe as soon as Oulton Park."

If you would like to send get-well wishes, you can email them here or send cards to: Ward 5E, Royal Victoria Hospital, 274 Grosvenor Road, Belfast, BT12 6BA.