Alison Smith said she has been left with long term, devastating injuries, after the fall, which happened as she was walking to meet her daughter on the Isle of Wight
A mum was left with serious injuries and almost completely without teeth after she tripped and fell on a deep pothole.
Alison Smith said she has been left with long term, devastating injuries, after the fall, which happened as she was walking to meet her daughter on the Isle of Wight. The 48-year-old was walking on the side of the road as there was no pavement when she took a tumble when her foot got caught in a massive hole in the road. She says she fell face first, knocking out a whopping seven teeth in the process, as her head slammed into the ground.
The mum of four fell last November in the accident and said that, despite it coming up to the year anniversary, she still can’t use her hand, has fake teeth, and is unable to work due to the injuries.
Now she has spoken out, revealing her fury that no one has ever taken responsibility for fall.
She said: “My foot got caught in the pothole and I fell forward using my hand to try and save me.
“My face went into another pothole which is why I lost so many teeth. It was horrendous. I was on the floor with blood everywhere trying to pick up my teeth. My daughter walked round because she heard me crying. I was just very shook up and slightly dizzy. I was very upset. It was sore for a good few weeks.
“It is now over a year later and it is still causing me to not be able to do the things that I used to do. It impacted everything really. I am still now signed off sick because of the stress of everything.
“I still can’t eat the things I used to eat. I had to relearn how to sing with these fake teeth. It did shake me up. It changed my confidence for a while. I did have to spend time going out in public and carrying on with my life with no teeth.”
Island Roads have since filled the pothole and resurfaced the whole road, but Alison says she wants compensation for the distress caused. She also claims that the road had been riddled with potholes for a long time, and it should have been fixed before her accident.
She said: “The road has been like that for many years. Lots of people have complained about that road. We were always careful and it was just unlucky that I happened to trip in it.
“They have basically said that it is not their liability and there is nothing they will do. If it had been my mum or any other elderly person it could have caused death. I just think it is absolutely disgusting. I would like them to admit liability and I think I should be entitled to compensation for the amount of work I have lost and the fact that my hand doesn’t work at all.”
Alison has since been having physiotherapy for the injuries but is unable to lift anything, meaning she had to leave her café job.
An Island Roads spokesperson said: “We have every sympathy for Ms Smith and for the injuries she has sustained as a result of this incident. A claim relating to this matter was received, fully investigated and a formal response was issued to Ms Smith in April 2025.
“The road was inspected in October 2024 as part of its routine six-monthly inspection and in line with accepted industry practice. No defects were identified that met the threshold for intervention either at that time or during our investigation following the incident.