Alison Smith, 48, from Ventnor, Isle of Wight, was walking along Shore Road in Bonchurch to meet her daughter in November 2024 when her foot became trapped in a pothole, sending her crashing down. With no footpath available, she had been forced to walk on the road.
As she fell, she stretched out her hand to cushion the impact, but her face smashed into another pothole, knocking out seven teeth. She described the fall: "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."
Recalling the aftermath, she said: "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."
Life-changing injuries
The pothole on Shore Road was about two to three inches deep and more than a foot wide. The morning after the fall, Alison attended A&E because she could not move her face and feared she had fractured her cheek. X-rays on her wrist showed no fractures, but she endured weeks of excruciating pain and still cannot use her hand properly.
She has been undergoing physiotherapy but cannot lift objects, forcing her to give up her café job. Her charitable work, through which she raised £400,000 for a food box scheme, also had to cease. The mother-of-four and grandmother-of-five now wears dentures on both upper and lower jaws and has quit the two musical groups she performed with.
She said: "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."
She added: "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."
Road 'had been like that for many years'
Alison maintains the road had been plagued with potholes for a long time and repairs should have been done earlier. 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."
She is now seeking compensation, saying: "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."
She added: "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."
Island Roads response
Island Roads, the Isle of Wight highways service provider, has since filled the pothole and resurfaced the entire carriageway, but has not accepted liability. A spokesperson said: "We have every sympathy for Ms Smith and for the injuries she has sustained as a result of this incident."
The spokesperson added: "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."
