A pensioner has been left “partially blind” after she tripped over a “crack” on a road in Glasgow. Catriona Graham, 71, suffered brutal injuries after she fell on Crow Road, in the Broomhill area, around 6pm on Friday, November 1.
She was crossing the busy road at the pedestrian lights when she tripped on a crater in the surface and landed on her face. Shocked passersby rushed to her aid and she was raced to hospital.
Catriona spent six hours in A&E and was given multiple stitches in her head. Opening up on the shocking ordeal, she told Glasgow Live: “I thought I had cracked my skull. It was dark and I tripped in one of the crevices and fell on my face, in the middle of the road, and hit my head. I had black eyes and bruises on my face. It was very painful.”
Caitriona has been left unable to see out of her left eye following the ordeal. She is waiting to speak to a specialist who will determine whether she needs eye surgery.
She added: “It was frightening because I thought I couldn’t get up. I’m a pensioner and you get people older crossing the road, it could have been worse. I could have been killed.
“I’m a bit better now but for the month I’ve not been able to drive to work as my eyesight has been affected. My livelihood depends on driving. I might need eye surgery. There were some fabulous people in the Broomhill neighbourhood, thank you to all who helped me.”
The OAP has slammed Glasgow City Council for the state of Crow Road and in particular the area where she fell, which she claims is riddled with cracks and potholes. Caitriona has contacted the council, urging them to take action and compensate her for her ordeal.
She explained: “There’s quite a lot of cracks in the road and the pothole situation is ridiculous. It’s a very busy road and there have been a lot of complaints. It’s dangerous at night as there’s too many cracks. There’s these crevices about two inches down across the road, and there’s more than one.
“They [GCC] are not doing enough to fix the roads in my opinion. They have really got to rectify the roads. The council has got to be held responsible because we all pay our taxes.”
Glasgow City Council have wished Catriona well and hope she “makes a swift recovery.” A spokesman added: “We were saddened to hear of this incident and we hope she makes a swift recovery.
“This part of Crow Road was recently inspected and will be maintained in line with our road inspection and repairs policy, which prioritises the most serious road faults for repair. Any claim will be considered in the appropriate manner and in-line with our road inspection and repairs policy.”
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