A West Midlands Police officer who sustained serious injuries after being thrown from his motorcycle has pledged to take legal action against Nottinghamshire County Council, which initially insisted the road was not at fault before closing it for repairs five months later.
Charles Woolhouse-Smith, 37, was riding through Nottinghamshire when his BMW motorcycle veered into a gutter and collided with the rear of a parked van. He claims he lost control after a build-up of loose stones and gravel caused by potholes on Woodthorpe Drive made steering feel "like driving on ice."
Crash and injuries
The collision occurred on April 10. Several bystanders stopped and contacted emergency services, and Mr Woolhouse-Smith was taken to Queen's Medical Centre by Nottinghamshire Police officers. An ultrasound revealed severe trauma to his groin and genital region, leaving him unable to work for a fortnight and requiring six weeks of light duties upon his return.
"This caused me fear and anxiety as I am a young man. It could have been worse and I was lucky this was not the case. I had to stay in overnight under observation," he said. "As you can imagine this was all very painful and scary. It took a while to heal and I don't like being off work. The main reason I was not further injured was because I am a sensible rider and I wore full protective gear."
Council rejects claim
Mr Woolhouse-Smith, who resides in Woodthorpe but works for West Midlands Police, contacted the council four days after the crash to seek compensation. He received a reply from the council's risk and insurance team on August 20, stating that a routine inspection of Woodthorpe Drive had taken place nine days before the incident and found no defects requiring urgent attention.
The council's letter said: "We can find no evidence of council negligence and therefore have no alternative but to decline your claim for compensation. We do not consider the Highway has been brought into a state of disrepair."
However, from September 15 to 17, the road was closed for patch repairs—targeted fixes on damaged areas rather than full replacement. This has led Mr Woolhouse-Smith to question the council's assertions.
Legal action planned
Mr Woolhouse-Smith, who has ridden motorcycles for seven years and bought the BMW for £6,500, saw the bike written off in the crash. He has since bought a replacement, which he describes as "nowhere near what the other one was."
He said: "I've been thinking about legal action and going through my solicitor at work because, with my job, I see this all the time. I am going to go as far as I can with this because of the people in the same situation that can't or don't know how to."
A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesperson said: "We are sorry to hear about the injuries and distress suffered by Mr Woolhouse-Smith following this incident and we appreciate that this must have been a very difficult experience for him. We can confirm that the council has received a claim relating to this incident, and this has been thoroughly investigated. However, as this is a legal matter, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
The patching works on Woodthorpe Drive come as council leader Mick Barton claimed more roads had been fixed in Nottinghamshire than in any other county. The Reform-led authority announced in February it would allocate a £2 million 'emergency' fund towards highway repairs across 35 sites identified as most urgent.
