A cyclist has received £10,000 compensation, for personal injuries sustained cycling over a pothole, following his successful claim against Bellway County Council.
Cyclist, Mr Paul Jones, took his County Council to Court as they had failed to take any action to repair the damage caused to the roads following the exceptionally harsh winter and heavy snow experienced earlier this year.
On the evening of 1st March, Mr Jones was cycling home from work, on the busy B1234, when the front wheel of his bicycle caught in a 10” deep pothole and catapulted Mr Jones into the path of an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, Mrs Molly Smith, braked hard and swerved quickly, narrowly avoiding hitting Mr Jones. Mr Jones’s red Raleigh bicycle was badly damaged and he sustained injuries to his head and neck, together with a broken arm.
Following the decision of the Court, Mr Jones said:
“I am absolutely delighted at the outcome of this case. The past few months have been extremely painful and stressful. Following the accident I was unable to work for 4 weeks and when I returned to work I had to rely on family members and work colleagues to take me to work as I was unable to ride my bicycle.”
A spokesman for Bellway County Council said:
“We regret the injuries sustained by Mr Jones, but we have worked extremely hard to repair all the defects to the roads caused by the snow. Our Contractors have been working overtime to ensure that all the roads were made safe, in as short a time as possible.”
Mr Jones plans to use his compensation to buy a car.
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