Alison Smith, 48, was walking along Shore Road in Bonchurch, Isle of Wight, in November 2024 to meet her daughter when her foot caught in a pothole. With no pavement available, she had been walking in the road. She tried to break her fall with her hand, but her face landed in another pothole, leaving her with seven lost teeth and serious facial injuries.
"My foot got caught in the pothole and I fell forward using my hand to try and save me," she said. "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."
A year on, still unable to work
The morning after the fall, Alison went to A&E because she could not move her face and feared she had fractured her cheek. X-rays on her wrist showed no broken bones, but she remained in pain for weeks and says her hand still does not work. She has been receiving physiotherapy but cannot lift anything, forcing her to leave her café job and stop her charity work, which had raised £400,000 for a food box initiative.
The part-time singer now has false teeth on the top and bottom of her mouth and has stopped performing with the two bands she was in. "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," she said. "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."
Compensation claim rejected
The pothole on Shore Road was about two to three inches deep and more than a foot wide, Alison said. It has since been filled and the whole road resurfaced, but she wants compensation and says the road had been riddled with potholes for years. "The road has been like that for many years," she said. "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."
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. However, having been brought to our attention, we arranged for the pothole referred to in the claim, along with another nearby pothole, to be repaired as part of our ongoing maintenance programme. Every claim is carefully considered on its individual merits, taking account of available evidence and the legal responsibilities of the highway authority and Island Roads as its service provider. Having completed our investigation, we concluded that we are unable to accept liability in this case. We appreciate the outcome will be disappointing for Ms Smith, but we have a responsibility to assess all claims consistently."
