Woman Says She Looked Like She Fought Mike Tyson After Painful Fall
A woman was left with a fractured eye socket and severe facial injuries after tripping over a faulty paving stone, describing her appearance as looking “like I had been doing rounds in a fight with Mike Tyson.”
Tracey Hornby, a 45-year-old hairdresser from Middlewich, was injured while on a break from her salon, Colorz. She was heading to post a letter when she tripped over an uneven slab, leading to a painful fall.
“I went to drop off some post that had been delivered to my salon by mistake, and the next thing I know I am falling flat on my face,” Tracey said. “It all happened so quick. I fell and then heard a crack”, reports Cheshire Live.
The distressing incident left her dazed and bleeding, with a local workman stepping in to assist. “I was dazed and couldn’t see or pick myself up. I had lots of blood in my eye,” Tracey explained. The workman, a trained first aider, helped clean her face and escorted her back to her salon.
Tracey was then driven to Northwich Infirmary by her mother, where she received steristrip stitches and pain relief. However, she was surprised no x-ray was conducted despite her severe pain. “I thought it was a bit strange, but as I was in so much pain, I just wanted to get home.”
The following day, after her pharmacist expressed concern about her injuries, Tracey sought a second opinion at another hospital. An immediate x-ray revealed a fracture to her eye socket.
Tracey reported the hazardous paving stone to Cheshire East Council and returned to photograph the fault. Although the council marked the stone with blue paint, repairs were not completed for several weeks.
She criticized the council, urging quicker action to prevent further accidents. “The roads and pavements around here are shoddy. I fell on a faulty stone. The council needs to take this problem more seriously. I dread to think what would have happened if it had been an elderly person who fell instead of me.”
To address her injuries and highlight the issue, Tracey contacted accident specialists Express Solicitors, who are now investigating her claim. Lawyer Magdalena Smacka said: “Councils need to do better to maintain their pavements and protect pedestrians.”
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council responded: “We take the maintenance of our highways – which includes footpaths – very seriously. We encourage residents to report safety issues using our Fix My Street self-reporting facility.”
Tracey’s ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by poorly maintained pavements and the need for urgent repairs to prevent similar incidents.