Man Broke His Spine Tripping On A Pothole

A grandfather-of-four who smashed his face tripping on a pothole outside his home, only to discover he had broken his spine, has claimed his neighbours reported it to the council three years prior. 

When Darren Lucas claimed to have stumbled over a 10-foot-long pothole and struck his head on the concrete, he was making his way back to his house in Abergavenny, Wales.

Mr Lucas went to A&E after being left with a huge bump on his head, a wounded leg, and blood on his face. He claimed to have been given painkillers and sent home.

It wasn’t until a year later, in March 2022, when Mr Lucas collapsed that an MRI finally revealed his spine was broken in three places.

The 57-year-old endured a gruelling emergency operation to insert six or seven metal plates into his spine and spent 11 days in the ICU recovering. He has had to relearn to walk again using a Zimmer frame. 

About six years ago, one of Darren’s neighbours allegedly reported the pothole to Monmouthshire County Council, but nothing was done, according to the neighbour.

Despite the procedure, Mr Lucas claims he still struggles to walk owing to being in an extreme amount of pain, putting him in fear of additional falls.

‘It’s terrible that they won’t accept any responsibility for it. If I’d just banged my head and I’d just fell, it wouldn’t be so bad, but because of the injuries I’ve got and they’re life-changing injuries, it’s just not fair.

‘It’s a terrible thing to go through. It’s just wrong. The injuries just got worse and worse. My body just gave up in the end.

‘I was suffering; I couldn’t get off the sofa; I couldn’t even dress myself. I became incontinent; I had to wear nappies and it got worse.

‘Even the slightest movement I was screaming in agony; it was that bad. I didn’t understand what was going on.

‘It just became unbearable. I couldn’t even walk; I couldn’t get to the car. In the end, I collapsed at home.

‘I couldn’t even lift myself up because my arms were gone, my legs were gone. It was the worst feeling ever.

‘They told me that I could be paralysed for life; they even told me I might not come out of it.

I said, ‘Look, if I don’t come out of it, I don’t come out of it, but at least I’m not in no more pain any more because it had become that bad. It was horrible.

‘It was just frightening. I just wish the council would take responsibility for what has happened.

‘It’s like I’ve been chucked on the scrapheap; that’s how I feel. My wife has got to do everything for me. I can’t even dress myself. It’s embarrassing and it’s not fair on me.’

Although Darren remains in a lot of pain, he goes to physio every two weeks and can get around using a walking stick.

Since the housing association owns the home Darren lives in and he thought they also owned the road where the pothole is located, Darren claimed he reported the pothole to them following the autumn.

But after instructing a solicitor to represent him over the incident, Darren found out that the road is owned by Monmouthshire County Council.

Darren claimed that during the five years he has lived in the home, the pothole has never been fixed, despite the council telling his lawyers that the road is inspected every six months.

Darren says it was only after being contacted by his solicitor that the council filled in the pothole with concrete, but claims that the council will not take responsibility for the life-changing injuries he suffered.

Now he plans to move house because of the bad memories he associates with it.

Darren said, ‘I could fall at any time. I’ve got a trapped nerve in my leg from these injuries and now I could be walking around the house and my leg could just give way so I’ve got to use a stick to keep me upright.

‘It could happen at any time, though; it’s permanent damage. I’m stuck in limbo basically; it’s terrible, really. I’ve got nerve damage all over my body.

‘I do have feeling in my legs and my arms. I’m happy with what I’ve got at the moment because I had nothing but I’m still in a lot of pain.

‘I’ve still got problems now with my neck; I can hardly move it.

‘I can’t understand why the council didn’t notice it. It’s their road at the end of the day. They should have seen it. This should have been dealt with a long time ago.

‘I’m not going to let them get away with it. I’m going to fight them all the way.’

One of Darren’s neighbours claims she reported the pothole to the council around six years ago but no action was taken.

The neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said, ‘I’ve been here 11 years and it’s never been maintained since I’ve been here.

‘I’ve complained a number of times, including reporting the pothole to the council around six years ago. They are a joke.’

Monmouthshire County Council has been contacted by MailOnline for comment. 

Personally, if the council owns it, then they’re responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of those using it. You should watch where you’re plonking your feet down; this is true, but councils are still responsible for ensuring such a public highway of any kind is as safe as possible, whether that’s a back alley or pavement on the high street.

The issue is that councils only give these matters any thought right before the fiscal year ends when they have to dispose of any extra cash, failing which the government will reduce their funding from the previous year. Such cunning little blighters, are they not?

Of course, not all pavements can be flat and even as we would like, but if somebody from the neighbourhood makes a complaint about it, then the council should send someone out to have a look. The same goes for grass, hedges and shrubs. I had a tree growing outside my kitchen window. When I moved in, it was tiny; by the time I had been in my flat for 11 years, I couldn’t see out of my kitchen window. I grant you, the council did come out and have a look and said, ‘Oh no, we can’t cut that; what about the wildlife?’ I ultimately got someone in to dig it out and get rid of it.

Councils are legally responsible for ensuring any path or road under their jurisdiction is kept free from hazards to members of the public. The problem is there seems to be a lack of complaints and also funding because they’re always complaining about lack of funding.

By law, they must respond to repairs when notified, and it’s up to them to ensure they budget for such things, especially after being handed over so much money from Westminster over the years, which seems to have solely been used for rainbow zebra crossings and squiggly lines. I mean, what’s that all about? I know it’s all to do with the LGBTQ. Integration is great, and rainbow crossings would be great if it could be afforded, but honestly, I, being part of the LGBTQ community, love a bit of colour, but why? Honestly why? Just wear a bright T-shirt and be done with it!