Potholes

You may have noticed recently that there has been a lot of news and focus on potholes.  This has happened for a few reasons.  Firstly, the bad weather we had just before and over Christmas has well and truly destroyed some of our roads.  The freezing temperatures meant that any water that had seeped into the cracks in our roads expanded and created numerous potholes in the surface.  Secondly, as a result of all these potholes cropping up, there have been numerous accidents as a result; for example, people tripping or twisting their ankles in these potholes, and vehicles getting damaged by the trauma of suddenly hitting a pothole at speed.  This has meant that people have been complaining more and more, which has hit the news. 

And thirdly, almost every county council in England released details of the amount of money they had spent on repairing potholes, and the amount of money they had had to pay out as a result of people requiring compensation having sustained injuries at the feet of potholes.  This again made national news, as huge sums had been spent as a consequence of potholes appearing on our roads in large numbers.  It was therefore no surprise to read a further article on potholes in the Hunts Post.  The story relates to the £2.7million that Cambridgeshire County Council have already spent fixing potholes in the first few months of this year.

The Hunts Post reveals that Cambridgeshire County Council have fixed roughly 10,000 potholes up to March this year.  This has come at a cost of £2.7million, of which just over £160,000 relates to compensation claims.  Interestingly, when compared to previous years, this is an increased spend of over 800%.  In March, the Department for Transport has granted a special aid fund for councils in the sum of £100million to help them deal with the financial burdens this particularly tough winter has created by way of potholes.

If you have sustained an injury at the hands of a pothole then it may be the case that you have a claim for compensation.  Your local council has a duty of care to its highway users to ensure their health and safety is protected.  In reality, this means that at certain intervals, say every 3 or 6 months, your council must undertake inspections of their roads and make sure they are roadworthy, and ensure they do not put you as a vehicle driver or as a pedestrian in danger. 

Further to this, should a particularly big problem be brought to your council’s attention, they must be seen to take action and do all they can as soon as is practicable to make the problem right.  It must be said that it is almost an impossible job for the council to keep an eye on the all their roads at once, and make sure that everything is perfect.  However, that is in no way to say that if you have suffered injuries because of an accident with a pothole that you have no claim for compensation. You may well do; and it is therefore a great idea to contact a quality personal injury lawyer, like those at The Injury Lawyers, who have dealt with these sorts of claims for years, and have expert knowledge on their prospects of success. 

At The Injury Lawyers our advice is free and independent, and there is absolutely no harm in giving us a call to have a quick chat and go through your potential claim.