This is the face of an elderly woman in who fell on a ‘treacherous’ footpath riddled with potholes.
Margaret Appleton, 75, fell down on a footpath near to Essington Road in Skelmersdale on Saturday morning on her way to Tanhouse.
Fortunately, two neighbours came out to help the stricken pensioner, who suffered two black eyes and bruising after tripping and falling straight onto her face.
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The grandmother and great grandmother was taken by ambulance to Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, and is now recovering at home.
Her daughter, Tracey Thompson, paid tribute to the good samaritans who came out and looked after her mum and to dedicated staff at the hospital who x-rayed her before she was sent home.
But she says her mum, a former factory worker and cleaner, of Old Skelmersdale, has been left ‘too scared’ to use the footpaths for fear of falling again.
And Tracey, an office administrator, 52, has blasted the ‘disgraceful’ state of footpaths all over the town, LancsLive reported.
Tracey, also of Old Skelmersdale, said: “She fell straight up on to her face - that’s how she did the damage to her face.
“She was pouring with blood under her eye. The hospital was really good with her and said they would phone her to let her know if there’s any damage.
“She was shaken up at the time. She was very shocked. She said she’s going to get the bus in future instead of walking because she’s too scared to walk. She shouldn’t have to do that.”
Now Tracey has branded footpaths ‘treacherous’ all over the town and is calling on the council to sort out the problem to stop anyone else from suffering in this way.
“The pavements are so treacherous in Skelmersdale. Something’s got to be done because it’s a widespread problem.
“The underpasses get flooded and people have to walk in those places.
“Those footpaths are dangerous, and the subways get flooded when it’s raining so you can’t go through them, and people have to walk through them all the time.
“The majority of the footpaths and subways in Skelmersdale are not fit for purpose. The majority of the footpaths are a disgrace. Nothing seems to get repaired in Skelmersdale and people are fuming because of the state of the place.
“It’s unbelievable – it’s so dangerous to walk on some of the pathways.
“I would like to say that something needs to be done because it could have been a different outcome. She looks like she’s had a beating.
“She has worked all her life and it comes to something like this.
“The council really need to sort out the footpaths they are treacherous for people who don't drive. I don't wish this to happen to anyone else.”
A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 9.21am on Saturday morning to attend with an ambulance and took a patient to Southport and Ormskirk Hospital who was female and in her mid-70s. She had some head injuries.”
Lancashire County Council was contacted for comment.
