Pothole throws man from wheelchair on charity ride

15 hours ago

Richard Price,West Midlandsand

Stuart George,BBC Radio Stoke

News image — Peter Smorthit was thrown from his wheelchair when he hit a pothole in Cheddleton

Peter Smorthit A man wearing a yellow high visibility jacket is sat on a pavement. Behind him is a wheelchair and a trailer. The wheelchair has been tipped over. A road sign behind the wheelchair identifies the location as Basford View. — Peter Smorthit was thrown from his wheelchair when he hit a pothole in Cheddleton

A man travelling from Land's End to John O' Groats and back again for charity broke his collar bone when he was thrown from his wheelchair as it hit a pothole in Staffordshire.

Peter Smorthit, from London, is raising money for the charity Canine Partners, which provides assistance dogs for disabled people.

He told BBC Radio Stoke he hit the pothole on the A520 in Cheddleton earlier this week, when his trailer wheel got "wedged in" it, causing him to fall and break the bone.

It "could be worse," he said, but added it did hurt. "I'll recover it and we'll be back out again."

He said he still wanted to complete the challenge, but had not yet decided if he would start it afresh or set off from Cheddleton to finish it.

'I'm so positive'

He was 62 days into the journey when he sustained the injury, on his way from Leek to Hixon.

He had already done 1,700 miles of his journey, and had another 300 still to go.

"I was on a slight little downhill section, the road was absolutely terrible," Smorthit said.

"I actually managed to clear the pothole with my wheelchair but one of the trailer wheels managed to basically dig into it and I got jerked backward and thrown out of the chair onto the road."

Smorthit has previously suffered a spinal cord injury as well as three strokes and sepsis.

"I've had so much happen to me, but you know what, I'm still here," he said.

"To me that's an achievement in itself, and I think that's why I'm so positive."

He likened the pothole he hit to "a crater on the moon" and said passers-by helped him and took him to the Royal Stoke hospital.

'NHS staff brilliant'

He added one person had told him there had been another incident at the same site, resulting in a vehicle's suspension being damaged.

He described NHS staff who treated him as "absolutely brilliant".

He added the charity he is raising money for is "a lifeline" for many disabled people as it helped them keep their independence.

"Assistance dogs are an absolute lifeline for so many disabled people, so it's nice to be able to shine a bit of a light on them and get them some recognition."

He said he hoped to be back on the road again soon.

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