A single mother suffered tendon damage, a gashed left knee and a badly sprained right ankle and was forced to scramble out of the way of oncoming cars after she tripped in a pothole crossing Epsom High Street.
Wendy Mesure, 46, a gas engineer from Andover Close, Epsom, claimed Surrey County Council should do more to fix the county’s roads and protect its residents, after her fall.
The council is set to overhaul hundreds of miles of roads across Surrey this summer, as part of a £100million project called Operation Horizon. A spokesman said the scheme will provide smoother roads that will come with a ten-year guarantee.
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Miss Mesure managed to drag herself to the safety of the central reservation, but was left without any form of pain relief for half an hour, as she waited for an ambulance.
She described the pain she felt when she tripped in the High Street.
Miss Mesure said: “It was like I had been shot by a sniper. I felt my ankle snap and I went down.
“I looked up and saw the cars coming towards me. I was petrified. I thought I was going to be run over.
“I spent 30 minutes on the floor in agony. I was just thinking, my leg is going to be in two places – it was that painful.”
Miss Mesure was forced to take a week off her new job while she recovered from her injuries, following her fall on Saturday, April 9.
Her ankle is still swollen and her knee is scarred and scabbed, but she has been able to return to work.
She said: “I’m back at work now, but I’m on a lot of painkillers and my mobility is limited, which doesn’t help.
“I just have to crack on. I’m a single mum and I have bills to pay. I have to do it.”
Surrey County Council advised Miss Mesure to contact their insurance claims team so they can investigate her fall.
Miss Mesure said: “[My accident] could have been prevented. That is what has made me so cross.
“I pay council tax and that should go to the roads and the upkeep of Epsom. You expect roads to be of a reasonable standard.
“It has made me so paranoid of my surroundings. It has taken the joy out of walking around Epsom.”
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A spokesman for Surrey County Council said: "The safety of our residents is our top priority so, although we conduct regular inspections, we would encourage them to report any potholes they spot to us so we can fix them as soon as possible.
“If someone injures themselves on one of these they can contact our insurance claims team who can investigate this further."
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