PENSIONER Dorothy Bradbury is seeking compensation after breaking both her ankles when she tripped in the middle of a busy road.
The 61-year-old grandmother suffered the injuries after losing her footing on a piece of Tarmac which has subsided, while out shopping in Hanley with her husband.
The incident in Goodson Street, near to the rear entrance of Marks & Spencer, has left her virtually housebound and in constant pain.
She has had to have a metal plate inserted into her right ankle and both feet are in plaster casts following the fall on January 21.
Now Mrs Bradbury has contacted solicitors to see if she has a case for legal action against Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Mrs Bradbury, who lives on Alfreton Road, Fenpark, said: "We'd just parked the car nearby to go to the shops and I was walking on the pavement with my husband, who was holding my hand.
"We stopped to cross the road but when I reached the halfway point of the road, I fell into a sort of crater where the road had sunk.
"I screamed out straight away knowing I'd broken at least one ankle because the pain was very bad.
"A lot of people gathered round to see if I was OK and there was a policeman on duty in the area at the time who came over and rang an ambulance for me.
"It was very painful and it took a while for my husband to get me up and onto the pavement so I wasn't in the path of traffic."
Part of Goodson Street is a designated bus lane and the road is used by hundreds of buses each day.
Mrs Bradbury believes the dip in the road has been caused by the amount and weight of vehicles.
She insists it should not have been left to get into a state of disrepair in the first place.
The former night porter at the Holiday Inn, Clayton, said: "I was in a lot of pain at the time and I still am.
"I can't do anything because both my feet are in plaster so I'm practically stuck at home until it's healed.
"The nurses at the hospital thought I'd been in a car crash when they saw my injuries.
"I think the state of the roads in the city is disgusting.
"I read in The Sentinel about motorists claiming for compensation for damage to their cars when they have hit a pothole, so surely a human should be entitled to compensation for broken bones?
"I've spoken to Bentley Solicitors and they're going to see what they can do."
Mrs Bradbury is due back at hospital on March 9 when she hopes to have her casts removed.
Husband Clive, aged 66, said: "The injuries have caused us both a lot of problems. The road is a disgrace and needs to be repaired so it doesn't happen to anyone else."
The city council received 1,139 calls about potholes on its roads throughout January.
A spokesman for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "Because of the potential for legal action it would be inappropriate for us to comment."
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