George Morriss sues London Borough of Hillingdon after losing his arm in a motorcycle crash allegedly caused by a faulty manhole cover.
George, now 25, can’t work because of his injury. He is suing the London Borough of Hillingdon. He claims the manhole cover’s condition caused his crash and that it made him lose control.
He says a dusty, worn cover made his tire slide, causing him to crash into a fence. The council disagrees with George’s account. Inspectors saw no defects before or after the crash.
Colm Nugent represents George in court, and he stated the manhole cover caused the crash. Resurfacing should have included a high-friction surface, but the council failed to do this, Colm said.
George testified he used the road daily for eight months. He said weather conditions that day were dry and that his speed was at the 30 mph limit. He never had trouble on this road before his accident.
He said grit on the cover may have caused the issue. The road was resurfaced months before the crash, and this might have made the grip change drastic. He called the manhole cover very worn.
Lee Evans represents the council and said George’s negligence caused the crash. He said George lost control and drove too fast, and he failed to keep a proper lookout.
Lee noted a police report blamed driver error, saying George lost control. Council and Thames Water inspections found no defects, and they checked before and after the incident.
Around 18,000 vehicles used that road daily then. Thousands of motorcycles also used it yearly. No other related accidents occurred, Lee stated.
The trial is before Judge Ben Douglas-Jones KC now. It should end later this week.