A disabled woman suffered nasty cuts and bruises to her face after she was flung onto the floor when her wheelchair hit a deep pothole.

Tina Gina, 47, of Alexandra Road in Ashford won legal action against the owners of the car park just off London Road.

Mrs Gina, who has brittle bones and muscular dystrophy caused by a rare genetic condition, was left nursing nasty injuries to her hands and face after the fall.

She has spoken out to warn people of the importance of maintaining roads and take more consideration of the vulnerable and disabled.

She said: “It had been raining so there were a few puddles on the floor. The front wheel of my electric wheelchair went in to the hole I bounced forward.

"The seatbelt broke. I was pitched forward and I have a split second to decide if I was going to land on the side of my face or on the front of my face.

“Next thing I knew I was lying in a heap on the floor. I couldn’t move. The pain was instant and very intense.

"I knew I’d done a lot of damage because of the amount of blood. I had a cut above my eye, above my lip and on my face. I thought I’d broken something.

“People had to come and pick me up. I was taken to the hospital, which luckily was just next door, and patched up.

“It could have been so much worse. I’ve got a rare form of muscular dystrophy – I’m one of only five in Europe and the only woman with it - which means I have to go everywhere in a wheelchair.

"I’ve also got a form of bone disorder which means I break my bones more easily due to my medication. This could have been a really serious incident. I think I’m lucky I didn’t break anything.”

She launched legal action against Inland Homes Plc, the owners of the car park, which has admitted liability.

Mrs Gini added: “I think the people who are meant to maintain pavements and roads don’t take the disabled into account.

"I’d hope what happened to me would illustrate just how important it is to maintain streets and pavements.

“Even a small pothole can be a real hazard to someone who isn’t steady on their feet or someone in a wheelchair. The fact this site was next to a hospital, there is even more reason to ensure it’s well maintained.”

Her lawyer Keith Whitehead, of Slater & Gordon, said: “It can be easy to underestimate the potential risk of potholes. Mrs Gini sustained nasty injuries from the fall.

“Any member of the public could have suffered injuries as a result of this dangerous pothole, but given her medical conditions, Mrs Gini appears to have been lucky the incident wasn’t far worse.

“This was a site which was used by the public as a cut through to the Ashford Hospital so many vulnerable people would have had to negotiate those hazards.

"The owner of the site had a duty of care to people using it. We believe they were negligent in allowing the car park to fall into such disrepair.”