After being thrown from his bicycle in West Yorkshire when running afoul of a pot hole, one cyclist has been awarded £2,000 in personal injury compensation.
Fifty two year old Peter Lodge required treatment for cuts after the incident which took place near his home in Heben Bridge three years ago.
A Yorkshire Water valve had been responsible for he pothole’s formation, according to Mr Lodge’s personal injury solicitor. Yorkshire Water settled the case prior to a court date with Mr Lodge, stating that they were sorry to learn of Mr Lodge’s accident.
Yorkshire Power was quick to point out that shortly after the incident, the pothole in the road that had been caused by a sunken valve cover had been repaired in October of 2008.
Yorkshire Water stated that public safety is a serious concern and endeavour to carry out repairs whenever possible once made aware of any such problems. The firm stated that the repair work is done as soon as it possibly can be done.
Due to the poor surfacing of the road between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge, cyclist are faced with a serious threat, stated Mr Lodge. While more of an unpleasant inconvenience for drivers, Mr Lodge stated that cyclists are much more at risk, with the possibility of a painful fall or even being struck by a car is very much heightened.
The cyclist shuddered to think what the outcome might have been if he had been thrown off his bike just one hour earlier, during the rush hour.
Yorkshire Water is responsible for the maintenance of the area around the tap.
Mr Lodge’s legal representation stated that potholes are representative of dangerous risks for all users of the road, as they cause damage to cars and cause injury to cyclists. If Yorkshire Water had dealt with the defect sooner than they had, the whole incident could have been avoided easily without personal injury claims, said the legal expert.