Long road to recovery ahead for Greg Hood, 85, after being seriously injured when his bike was allegedly run off the Fernleigh Track

Greg Hood suffered a fractured spine, 11 cracked ribs and punctured lungs in the crash at Redhead about 11am.

Mr Hood's wife, Wendy, told the Newcastle Herald doctors had delivered the news that shattered vertebrae had damaged the 85-year-old's spinal cord and he would never be able to walk again.

The great-grandfather from Charlestown remained in John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition on Thursday afternoon and was expected to undergo a procedure to have blood drained from one of his lungs.

Mrs Hood said her husband of 64 years lived an active lifestyle - riding his bike at least four times a week, tending to the yard and often going for walks.

"It's going to be a very slow process of getting him well again," she said.

"He'll have a good go, but he's got a lot to overcome even before they can start looking at the paralysis - there's enough to overcome with the broken ribs and punctured lungs.

"He definitely won't be able to walk again. He's getting very good treatment at the John Hunter at the moment."

Paramedics were called to the Fernleigh Track at Redhead, near the former railway station, after a member of the public found Mr Hood seriously injured. Police are investigating the incident.

Mrs Hood said the incident showed that something needs to be done to reduce dangerous behaviour on the popular walking and riding track.

"He remembers pedalling hard up the hill and only doing 15km/h, he said he can't do any more than that up the hill, and he remembers seeing two e-bikes or those little motorbikes - he's not sure - and the two people on them were dressed in black," Mrs Hood said.

"He remembers going up the hill ... he remembers seeing them coming towards him going down the hill and doesn't remember anything else."

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