Injured cyclist receives accident claims
A 76-year-old cyclist has been awarded over £6,000 in an out-of-court settlement from his local council in accident claims.
The man from Welling suffered a personal injury after being thrown from his bike when he went over a pothole in the road.
It was reported that he dislocated his shoulder while he was cycling on Oakfield Lane, Dartford.
His injury lawyers said that the pothole was supposed to have been repaired five weeks before the accident.
However, the work was never carried out by the council and the pothole remained more than four inches deep.
Kent County Council initially denied liability but the man's injury lawyers were successful in having an out of court settlement worth £6,250 and its contractors.
The man, who still suffers pain in his arm, said: "Before the accident I was doing two 60 mile rides a week. I’ve had to cut that down by half."
He said that the council rarely admits liability for accidents involving road defects.
KCC said it will pay out £1 million to help repair potholes and damages caused by the recent cold weather.
KCC representative Paul Carter said: “We are planning how we will tackle the problem of potholes now.
Updated on 22/01/2010