A cyclist who claims he suffered a brain injury after hitting a pothole is suing a town hall for up to £100,000 for allegedly failing to maintain the road.
Alan Curtis, 56, will today bring the action against Hertfordshire county council. He says he was left with hearing and nerve problems, short-term memory loss and a broken arm as a result of the accident.
The charity fundraising director, who describes himself as a cautious cyclist,says he has not ridden a bike since.
The crash happened in The Drive, Rickmansworth, as Mr Curtis and two friends trained for a charity bike trip across India in October 2009.
After his front wheel hit the pothole, he was thrown off and struck his head against the road. He believes his helmet, which was completely smashed on one side, probably saved his life or prevented serious disability.
He added: “From that point until the Tuesday or Wednesday, I have no memory of anything. I thought I was unconscious, but the doctors and my wife tell me I was conscious. The neurologist says it’s pre- and post-traumatic stress memory loss.”
He is seeking £50,000 to £100,000 from the county council. His lawyer Kevin O’Sullivan, of Levenes solicitors, said: “This highlights how devastating a pothole can be to a cyclist, and how important it is that a local authority does what the 1980 Highways Act obliges it to do, and look after the road properly.”
Mr Curtis, of Bushey, who is married with a son aged 13, underwent emergency treatment at Watford General Hospital and was transferred to The Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood. He needed seven weeks off work. “I landed on the left side of my head,” he said. “That af-fected the right side of my body.
“I’ve had life-changing injuries. The hearing in my right ear is poor. I don’t feel pain or temper-ature the same way. I have pins and needles. If [the council] is not doing what it should in terms of looking after the road, it needs to have attention drawn to it.”
Hertfordshire denies liability. A council spokesman declined to comment ahead of the case.
