Fall leaves hairdresser in wheelchair

A hairdresser was left “out for the count” lying on the pavement after tripping on an uneven and potholed surface.

Toni Bullen, of Repton Park in Ashford, was out for a day in Dymchurch with daughter Lisa visitng the Day of Syn festival over the bank holiday weekend when the accident happened.

She is now in a wheelchair after her fall in Mill Road, and says the problems with the pavement surface have not been addressed by Kent County Council despite warnings.

She suffered a shattered ankle in two places, along with ripped cartilage in her opposite knee, and banged her head on a drain cover.

Ms Bullen said: “The injuries have been horrific. It left me stunned lying on the pavement with everyone crowding around.

“Everyone there seemed to know that this stretch of pavement is notorious.

“So locals know to take care, but for someone just walking along, you’re not expecting it at all and I was completely unaware.

“One gentleman who helped me said it has been reported to the council as lots of elderly people walk along there, but nothing has been done to fix it.

“I’m in my 50s, but I wouldn’t say I’m elderly or frail, but I ended up being the idiot who was left out for the count.”

It has meant that she faces months off work as a selfemployed hairdresser, while Lisa Bullen has had to cancel a holiday cruise this month because it is not safe to be on board with the injuries.

Ms Bullen added: “I’m now off work for months and I feel really depressed. My daughter has effectively become my carer. I live in a first floor apartment, so every day I have to crawl down the stairs and back up, I feel like I’ve lost my dignity.”

Kent County Council had not responded to our request for a comment on the footpath as we went to press yesterday (Wednesday).

Have you been affected by the pavement in Mill Road? Email us: kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk or write to Kentish Express, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR.

‘I live in a first floor apartment, so every day I have to crawl down the stairs and back up, I feel like I’ve lost my dignity’

Picture: Brian Green FM4493662 Toni Bullen, who broke her ankle after a fall in Mill Road, Dymchurch, with her daughter Liza

Toni Bullen tripped on the uneven and potholed pavement in Mill Road, Dymchurch, suffering a shattered ankle and twisted knee, leaving her wheelchair bound

Toni Bullen’s injured ankle