A cyclist had to undergo reconstructive facial surgery after she broke her jaw and was left vomiting up blood when she hit a pothole.
Roxelle Kimberley, 37, was left vomiting blood after she was thrown over her handlebars and landed on her face while riding her bike in Tadley, Hampshire.
The private nanny did not see the pothole because of the dappled morning light when she was cycling with her riding group Oakley Pedalers.
Her husband Martyn, also 37, was cycling in front of her and said it was ‘terrifying’ after she landed on her face in the middle of the road.
Roxelle Kimberley (left) was cycling with her riding group when she came off her bike and was left covered in blood and needing facial surgery (right)
The private nanny did not see the huge pothole in Tadley, Hampshire, because of the dappled morning light
The pair were riding with their group when one member cycled through the pothole and punctured both his tyres.
As the group signalled that they had to pull over to the side, Mr Kimberley heard another cyclist had just fallen in the same pothole and was horrified to realise it was his wife.
Mrs Kimberley, a private nanny, broke her upper jaw, lost a tooth, shattered two tooth sockets, and split the skin from her nostril to her upper lip.
She had to undergo reconstructive facial surgery and then emergency surgery to rebuild the upper jaw tooth sockets.
Mr Kimberley, a telecoms engineer, said the pothole, which has now been filled in by Hampshire County Council (HCC), was three inches long, 13 inches wide, and around four inches deep.
The couple have been talking with lawyers who contacted Hampshire County Council about the road defect.
Mr Kimberley said HCC had no records of any defect on the road and that the authority’s last inspection seven weeks before the accident on showed no defects.
Mr Kimberley of Basingstoke, Hampshire, said: ‘It was a bright sunny day and this particular stretch of road has got tree cover so there was lots of dappled light.
‘It was probably 20 yards over the brow of the hill and hard to see. Due to its distance from the edge of the road it was unavoidable for any road user.
‘One of the cyclists in the group went through the pothole and got a double puncture. I was riding next to him and my wife was behind us.
‘We signalled and called out puncture and pulled over to the side so he could repair his tyres as is the safety protocol.
Her husband said Hampshire County Council had no records of any defect on the road and that the authority’s last inspection seven weeks before the accident on showed no defects
The couple have been talking with lawyers who contacted Hampshire County Council about the road defect
‘Next thing I hear is a shout of ‘man down’ and I turn back and realised it was my wife and my heart just started going.
‘She was put in the recovery position and she was vomiting up blood. It was a really horrible situation, terrifying really.’
Mrs Kimberley, who was forced to take time off due to the accident, was rushed to A&E where she underwent surgery.
Mr Kimberley added: ‘Her facial injuries were such that she was in huge amounts of pain.
‘One of our group reported the defect and I think it took nearly six weeks to fill in. It was still there four weeks after my wife’s fall.’
A spokeswoman for Hampshire County Council said: ‘We are unable to comment on any claim that may be in progress.
‘However, we would point out that there is no automatic right to compensation – each claim is investigated to determine liability, as it is essential to ensure that council taxpayers’ money is used appropriately.’