Rs 7.5 lakh medical bill in a fortnight: Agony doubled for pothole accident victim

The victim has also been advised not to attend work for six months after getting two surgeries to fix her right knee and bone alignment

A working woman, hospitalised last month after being injured in a pothole-related accident, has spent Rs 7.5 lakh on her medical bills for 15 days.

She has also been advised not to attend work for six months after getting two surgeries to fix her right knee and bone alignment.

On the night of October 16, Peenya 2nd Stage resident S Suguna was returning from Nandini Layout when she lost control of her bike after hitting a pothole at 14th Cross, just 1.5 kilometres away from home. Since the pothole was filled with rainwater, Suguna could not assess its depth.

“She was riding slowly but yet lost balance as the pothole was extremely deep,” Suguna’s husband Mahesh said, adding that she has been riding the two-wheeler to work for the past four years.

Read | Bengaluru's potholes: Who's accountable?

Mahesh said he received immediate compensation of Rs 5.6 lakh thanks to family insurance.

“I spent Rs 2 lakh out of my own pocket. She has been advised bed rest and physiotherapy for the next six weeks,” he said.

The accident has proved costly to the couple who has a six-year-old son and an elderly mother.

‘Police refused to act’

“When I approached the police station to file a complaint stating the accident happened due to the pothole, they refused to accept it. After (Suguna’s) accident, I decided not to ride my two-wheeler when it rains. The pothole-filled roads are not meant for two-wheeler riders,” Mahesh said.