03 January 2024 , 21:05
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A dad is suing his local council after he was left with 'horrific' life-changing injuries when his motorbike hit a pothole.
Darren Crooks, 37, was riding his motorbike home in Kent when he hit the hole in the road, causing him to crash through metal barriers at the roadside.
Mr Crooks needed almost 10 hours of surgery following a "significant" loss of blood, a fractured right femur, broken bones in his other leg and foot as well as ruptured ligaments in his knee. He still finds walking "excruciating" several months later. The suspension on his bike, a Suzuki Gsxr750, was also completely snapped.
Despite this, Kent County Council (KCC), whose remit includes repairing and maintaining roads, is denying any liability for the crash. Mr Crooks, of Wingham, near Canterbury, said: "It was horrific. I was waiting on the roadside for almost an hour and a half before the ambulance arrived. If it hadn't been for the help of an off-duty paramedic who just happened to be passing by, it could have ended very differently - I lost a lot of blood."
The dad-of-three needed almost 10 hours of surgery (No credit)Police closed the road, and in the hours after KCC carried out an emergency repair of the pothole. However, reporters have seen correspondence from Mr Crooks' solicitor showing the authority is denying liability for the incident on April 16 last year. The lawyer said the council could escape culpability if it could show it had a good system of inspection, maintenance and repair of the road if the pothole was not there at its last inspection, and if it had not received complaints.
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It is understood this is the case KCC has argued, having last inspected the road the month before, but the authority says it does not comment on individual cases. For a successful claim to be made the pothole would also need to have been 50mm deep, but the solicitor says no measurements of the pothole were taken before it was repaired. Mr Crooks underwent nine-and-a-half hours of surgery at Kings College Hospital in south London after the crash, followed by four months of at-home recovery and physiotherapy.
The pothole in Kent which Darren Crooks claims caused his motorbike accident (Google Street View / SWNS)Mr Crooks said: “Today, walking is still excruciating and my physiotherapist said that even though, with time, I will get more movement back, there will be things now that I simply won’t be able to do. It’s like I’ve aged 60 years. My three children are all really keen on sports and outdoor activities and it’s affected how I can play with them. It’s like a chunk of their life that’s been taken away.”
Mr Crooks says he recently visited the site of the accident and has seen that the pothole that almost cost him his life has opened up again. He added: “There are loads of potholes on that road. When I approached the council I thought it would be very clear-cut. But speaking to them, it feels like they will do anything to shirk responsibility.”
Kent had the highest number of pothole-related deaths between 2018 and 2022 in the UK, with faults in roads having caused 15 deaths or serious injuries. Mr Crooks says he is still pushing ahead with legal action against the council.
Darren says walking is still 'excruciating' after suffering multiple fractures in the crash (No credit)A KCC spokesperson said: “Our priority is always to ensure the safety of everyone that uses our roads and we wish the motorcyclist well in his recovery. We last inspected the A260 in March 2023 and attended the site alongside Kent Police when the incident occurred, where clear photographs were taken identifying a small defect in the road.
“While we are not able to comment on individual claims, we recognise the responsibility we have to make sure our roads are safe to use and keep Kent moving. That is why we are spending millions this financial year to repair potholes and other safety-critical defects on one of the largest road networks of any local authority in England. Anyone who sees a pothole on our road can report it directly to us on our website using our highway fault reporting tool.”
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