AN 80-YEAR-OLD amputee says she will seek compensation from the council after cracked paving threw her from her wheelchair.
Margaret Hyde, of Old Coulsdon, was being pushed by her husband when her wheels got stuck on a crooked slab.
She was on her way back from Fabric World on Easter Saturday when the sudden jolt threw her onto the ground.
Mrs Hyde, whose left leg is amputated above the knee, said: "Coming out of that wheelchair was like a shot from a gun.
"My wheelchair came to an abrupt halt and I did not, and I was right on my stump.
"I was just screaming out, 'My leg, my leg' and two ladies came rushing out and a man and he was trying to lift me. It is painful even to talk about it."
Mrs Hyde says the accident, outside the former Swan and Sugar-loaf pub, was extremely painful – and could have been worse. She said: "When I think if I had been propelled into a lamppost or the wall, it could have killed me."
The pensioner had her leg amputated last December due to complications from polio, and still suffers excruciating phantom limb pains.
She is hoping witnesses will come forward to back her case.
She said: "I was not going to do anything about it, but when I saw the pictures [of the road] I thought, why should they get away with something like this?
"Why should I have an accident because of their negligence? They are at fault."
A spokesman for Croydon Council said: "We inspect footpaths regularly and where any immediate hazards are noted then these are repaired as a matter of priority.
"Preventative work to minor problems is carried out on a programmed basis. If anyone is unfortunate enough to have an accident that they think may be the result of defective paving then they can contact the council and we will take action."
