Injury compensation news
28/11/2011

Pothole trip yields personal injury case

A South Shields woman is seeking personal injury compensation from Tyneside Council after her daughter tripped in a pothole.

The eight-year-old suffered only minor injuries, but her mother said the potholes posed a significant risk of more serious injury.

She claims the council was negligent in failing to repair the potholes when they were reported some weeks earlier.

The single mother-of-three told reporters at The Shields Gazette she was ‘in shock' on hearing her child had been hurt.

"I raced to her, but by the time I got there the ambulance had taken her home," she said.

"Luckily, she escaped with only bruising to her left hip and swelling to her right knee, but it could have been much worse."

The girl had been walking home from school with a friend when she tripped and fell. The paramedics who drove her home treated her injuries with an ice pack.

Her mother later sought the advice of a personal injury claim solicitor.

"People should not be put off complaining when incidents like this happen," said the solicitor.

"There is no excuse for complacency where the public are concerned. This accident to an eight-year-old child could have been much more serious.

"We will insist that the council face up to their responsibilities and deal with the matter before someone else is hurt."

South Tyneside Council has confirmed the mother's personal injury compensation claim is being handled by its insurance team.