Warning: This story contains graphic images.
An 88-year-old widow, Pat Lowe, was seriously injured when her mobility scooter plunged into a deep, water-filled pothole during a routine dog walk in Viney Hill. The incident left her trapped beneath her scooter for ten agonizing minutes before she managed to free herself.
Pat had moved onto a muddy verge on Church Walk to allow an oncoming car to pass, but when she returned to the road, she failed to see a large pothole concealed by rainwater. Her scooter “nosedived,” trapping her underneath as she fell. She screamed for help, but no one came until she was halfway home.
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The injury to Pat’s right elbow was severe: a large flap of skin was torn loose, requiring immediate hospital treatment. Pat spent five hours in the emergency unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and now faces up to two months of recovery, including regular dressing changes.
She recalls the distress vividly. “It was painful and debilitating. I couldn’t get up because the scooter was heavy and had pinned me under the armrests and steering column. I was crying and in shock,” she said.
Pat’s neighbors appeared unaware of her cries for help, reportedly distracted by a Six Nations rugby match. A lifelong resident informed Pat that the road had not been resurfaced since 1949, riddled with deep, two-tier potholes often filled with muddy water – making them nearly invisible and extremely hazardous.
Only after Pat reported the accident did authorities mark and fill the potholes where she fell. However, the rest of the road remains dangerously damaged. Pat describes the road’s condition as “the worst I’ve ever seen,” with huge, deep holes that pose ongoing risks to residents.
Gloucestershire County Council assured that repairs would continue to prioritize the most urgent cases, and a highways manager will be in contact with Pat to address her concerns.
Determined to raise awareness of this serious safety issue, Pat is considering legal action and calls on local authorities to take pothole maintenance more seriously before more accidents occur.