Potholes continue to cause injury
Posted: June 4, 2014
Posted in: Bicycle Accidents Head and Brain Injuries Pothole Injuries Public Place Accidents
While potholes continue to cause serious injury all over the UK, Kingston Council has recently received seven compensation claims from injured cyclists who blame pothole-damaged roads. Only one of these seven claimants actually received compensation, with £700 going to a cyclist injured on Grafton Road, New Malden, in October of last year. A further six cyclists came forward with injury claims between 2012 and April 2014, however none of them received any compensation.
The figures were released as part of a Freedom of Information request by the Surrey Comet, wanting to know about the damage claims made by cyclists between January 2012 and April 2014. On seeing the figures, Jon Fray from Kingston Cycling Campaign said: “I’m surprised there have not been many more claims because there’s scores of potholes in the roads.”
Received almost £70,000
On top of injury claims, Kingston Council has also received five claims for bicycle damage since April 2011. One claimant, 50-year-old John O’Connell, is still waiting for £220 in compensation after coming off his bike in February. He was not himself injured, but his bike was severely damaged.
In an attempt to cut these claims, Kingston Council’s new Conservative administration has decided to withdraw £1m from the authority’s traffic and parking fines account, and reinvest it into road repairs in its first year in power.
The highest pothole-injury payout went to cyclist Alan Curtis after suffering brain damage when his bike hit a pothole – he received almost £70,000.
If you have suffered an injury in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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