THE 85-year-old Busselton woman who suffered horrific facial injuries following a footpath fall says she is now on the mend despite being about a thousand dollars out of pocket.
Margaret Horton tripped on a raised join on a Gale Street footpath which she described as about five centimetres high at 10.30am on Wednesday June 25.
The Mail’s article on July 2 titled “Path fall gives woman horrific face injuries” said Mrs Horton suffered a fractured jaw, shattered teeth and significant bruising and swelling to her face following the incident.
Mrs Horton said while she was disappointed the City of Busselton had declined to cover the cost of her dentist bill, she wanted to let the community know she was okay.
“I’m physically all right but I’ve gone through all this rushing around and don’t get a cent,” she said.
“But it could have been worse.”
Mrs Horton’s dentist bill is estimated to cost about $480, which she said could potentially rise to $1000 once travel and other costs were factored in.
The city said that while it empathised with Mrs Horton’s situation, it was unable to offer any compensation.
In a letter from the city’s claims department it stated that the City of Busselton was unaware the footpath was raised prior to the incident being reported and therefore the city was afforded immunity from liability for Ms Horton’s fall under the Civil Liability Act 2002.
City of Busselton Chief Executive Officer Mike Archer said the city was pleased to hear Mrs Horton was recovering from the fall.
“The incident has been assessed by the insurer and both parties have been advised there is no basis for a claim against the city,” he said.
Mrs Horton said she wanted her experience to act as a warning to others to look where they are going and be careful.
“I’ll definitely use my gopher next time,” she joked.
“My dentist said at least I haven’t lost my sense of humour.”
