On the 12th March this year Margaret was enjoying a country ride with her husband.  Both were keen cyclists and had been cycling together for over 50 years.  Margaret's husband had been cycling in front of her when, as he came over the brow of the hill he noticed some potholes.  He tried to warn Margaret of the potholes by shouting a warning, but it was to late and Margaret hit one them causing her to be thrown off her bicycle.  She was not wearing a helmet and sustained head injuries.

The inquest into her death heard that the potholes had been there for four months and the road was overdue for inspection.  Police who attended the scene of the accident measured the potholes and located five measuring the largest at 39 inches long, 19 inches wide and three inches deep.  The pothole that caused Margaret's fall measured 26 inches long, 12 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep.

The highways inspection manger for Somerset advised that he was not surprised the road was in such a bad state of repair.  He blamed the previous severe winter which caused potholes to appear all over the county.  It was estimated that some 25,000.00 potholes appeared in the previous year for the county alone.  Due to a lack of funding the money simply wasn't there to remedy the problem.

Given the warm weather we are currently experiencing I am hopeful that the weather will not have such a effect of our roads this year.  However, if we have a sudden change and the cold blows in bringing snow and ice, what do you think can be done to stop the potholes appearing and how they can be repaired quicker so as to avoid horrendous accidents like Margaret's?




Karen Thompson

Legal Executive - Personal Injury Team