A Montreal cyclist is asking the city to fix its potholes after getting into a bad accident in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
Léonie Gray says she sustained numerous injuries after she fell into a pothole on Rosemont Boulevard.
“Thank God I was wearing a helmet because I would’ve died at the impact,” Gray said.
The accident happened last Monday while Gray was biking with her boyfriend at night. She says her bike’s wheel became caught in the pothole, which threw her to the pavement as a result.
“I broke my nose, three teeth in the front, I have scars pretty much everywhere in my body,” Gray explained.
“A rib moved as well during the accident.”
Gray says she’s had several surgeries on her mouth because she couldn’t breathe or eat. She has also gone to rehab.
To make matters worse, Gray, who is a musician, is now unable to sing without her teeth.
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The ordeal has resulted in more than $5,000 in dentist fees and possibly more to come, Gray says.
“It’s not covered by any insurances because it’s not an accident that happened with a car,” the singer told Global News.
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In addition to starting a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover her fees, Gray is also asking the city of Montreal for $20,000 in compensation for physical and psychological damages.
“Because it’s pretty traumatizing. Every time I close my eyes, that’s all I see, basically,” said Gray, referring to the accident.
Gray says that if the city wants to encourage people to bike, it should create a safe environment for cyclists.
“Make the city safer, the entire city. I don’t think that there’s one street in the entire city that is pothole-free,” she said.
The City of Montreal, meanwhile, says they won’t comment on the case because it’s under investigation, but admitted that they have been slower in patching up potholes this year due to difficult conditions in the spring, when they start their repair blitz.
This year, the city says they have repaired 150,416 potholes, compared to 176,837 in 2018.
While Gray says she is focusing on healing, she says she will be calling a lawyer to explore the possibility of suing the city.
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