IT was a normal Wednesday morning for 85-year-old Margaret Horton who was walking along Gale Street in Busselton on her way to a doctor’s appointment.
But what happened next left her with a fractured jaw, shattered teeth and significant bruising and swelling to her face.
Mrs Horton tripped on a raised join in the footpath which she described was about two inches high and fell on her face around 10.30am on Wednesday June 25.
“There were four to five cars that drove past but nobody stopped,” she said.
“But then a gentleman and a lady picked me up off the ground and I saw lots of blood and I remember thinking to myself that I had a mouth full of broken teeth.”
Mrs Horton said the two people who assisted her took her straight to the doctor’s surgery where she was originally on her way to and then called the ambulance.
Mrs Horton then spent the next seven hours in hospital before being told she would have to travel to Fremantle to have surgery on her jaw.
“The doctor thought I’d broken my nose as well,” she said.
“And now I might have to have my jaw wired.”
Mrs Horton said she was wearing sensible shoes at the time of the accident and added that she was normally very steady on her feet.
“I will heal eventually, but it’s my teeth I’m worried about,” she said.
“I’m more concerned with whether or not the government will pay for my teeth to be repaired.”
The City of Busselton’s chief executive officer Mike Archer confirmed that the pathway was roped off, cleaned and repaired within 15 minutes of the incident.
“First and foremost we sincerely hope that the injured lady is okay and I can confirm that the she has made contact with the City,” he said.
“If the City receives a request for compensation from the public, it is submitted to Council’s public liability insurer for their consideration.”
Busselton resident Nerissa Johnson who assisted Mrs Horton said she was impressed with how quickly the pathway was fixed.
“I was impressed with how quickly the City of Busselton dealt with fixing the issue of the pathway but it shouldn't have taken such a horrible injury for this to happen,” she said.
“I believe that the City needs to cover all her dentist and medical bills as it was quite extensive, she shouldn't be left to pay this on her own.”
