Photographer Sonny McCartney takes on Superhero Triathlon after losing leg in near-death crash 

Liverpool photographer Sonny McCartney is taking part in his first solo triathlon – eight years after the motorbike accident which almost took his life.

34-year-old Sonny McCartney, the son of Mike and nephew of Paul McCartney lost his lower leg in the accident which happened near London in July 2016.

But, despite the extreme highs and lows that he’s faced ever since, he says the tragic incident gave him a second chance at life.

“What happened could have been a lot worse, and I am so grateful that it wasn’t that I want to take full advantage of that,” he says.

“I’ve been a photographer for 18 years and I’m still going strong even with my disability.

“I want to show people that you can push yourself and challenge yourself no matter what the obstacles are; you can still pursue your passions and live life to the fullest.”

Sonny will swim 750m, cycle 20km, and run 5km in the Windsor event which is aptly named the Superhero Tri this Saturday.

He adds: “When I had my accident the Paralympics were on, and I was lying in a hospital bed watching the Paralympian sprinter Jonnie Peacock (who lost his leg as a child after suffering meningitis).

“I had never wanted to be a runner but seeing him gave me a great sense of hope. And I hope now I can do what he did for me for others.

“I have seen people have something traumatic like me go straight away ‘Paralympics’, but although I was a keen cyclist, I have never been particularly sporty. This year I wanted to step up the sports side of things. 

“So having done the triathlon with a team and just done the cycle, I decided to challenge myself in a different way and do it all. It’s taken me eight years to get to this point.”

A successful fashion and music photographer who’s captured stars like the Rolling Stones and Liam Gallagher – and of course his uncle Paul – Sonny was the main stage photographer for the British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park when his life changed forever.

Sonny, who grew up in Heswall, Wirral, wasn’t working that day but had tickets to see Stevie Wonder in the evening, so decided to go for a chilled weekend motorbike ride before with a friend: “I remember my first thought when I woke up from the accident was that I was going to miss Stevie Wonder!”

He explains: “I had a stupidly loud old American Harley Davidson because I wasn’t into sports bikes – just anything custom that couldn’t go over 60mph – and we were in a quiet area of High Wycombe when a driver came out of a side road and collided with the side of me with some force.

“I ended up on the other side of the road and it was a code red which meant I was losing a lot of blood and had to be airlifted to hospital.

“The surgeons assessed my injuries and decided that the best decision was to amputate my leg below the knee. They could have saved it but it would have meant a minimum of 10 surgeries, and because of modern technology having a prosthetic leg gave me a better chance of being able to walk properly. I was so glad they did because it meant I was able to put all the hard work into my recovery and make the best of a horrible situation.

“I did go through a rollercoaster of emotions like anger and sadness, but I realised early on I had to get myself into the right mindset that this had happened – and it’s again why I’m doing the triathlon. I had a minor hairline fracture below my eye, but that could have been the fall where I hit my spine and ended up paralysed.”

Sonny spent two months in hospital before starting two years of hard work with a physio and personal trainer learning how to walk again. He saw a pain psychologist and a normal psychologist and has spoken openly about his mental health battles, refusing to hide his emotions.

He has returned to his career as a photographer and now divides his time between London and Liverpool, where he opened a studio, Scale, in Kempson Street in the fabric district in 2018 and then expanded further into the building with Fabric Studios, a photography, filming and kitchen studio which can even hold weddings and corporate events.

Sonny has just been working on a major campaign to come out around the time of the Paralympics but, for now, his focus in on this weekend, when he will take part in the Superhero Tri raising money for Claire House Children’s Hospice.

“Claire House is close to home and my dad does a lot for the charity, and I’m fortunate to know Nisha Katona who does amazing things for them, but I chose them for the simple fact of what they are doing, supporting children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and bringing a sense of normality to their lives.

“When I did my first triathlon with others I was so anxious and nervous, then I got there and saw families taking part. I cried so much seeing kids with cerebral palsy or another disability being carried by their parents and put into a raft and they’d swim with them, or children being put into a specially-developed cycling chair, and it pulls on your heart strings.

“I know the money I raise is going to children who were born with illnesses and conditions which aren’t their fault, and anything I do to help them I’m there … even if I have to put myself to hell and back.”

His first target was £1,000 but now Sonny’s fundraiser has tipped the £2,000 mark.

Sonny’s family have supported him throughout the last eight years and his mum and dad, Rowena and Mike, will be cheering him on on Saturday (‘I think my uncle is busy rehearsing’).

He says: “My accident has changed me, but I’m giving it my best and taking every day as it comes.

“I have trained hard and pushed myself for the triathlon to raise awareness and to show people my journey and what can be done. If one person takes something from it all, then for me that makes it all worthwhile.”

To support Sonny and raise money for Claire House Children’s Hospice, go to THE WEBSITE HERE.

To read more about his journey follow him on INSTAGRAM HERE.

Read more about the Merseyside nurse taking on an epic Atlantic rowing challenge for Claire House HERE.