Cannock dad ‘could lose feeling in leg’ after horror pothole crash near M6

Simon Wilcox says he was put on a spinal board for nine hours

10:11, 22 Jan 2026

Stock picture of a road in a poor state of repair(Image: )

A motorcyclist has claimed he was left seriously injured after crashing into a pothole near the M6.

Simon Wilcox blames a pothole for the crash, which he says is still affecting him almost two years later.

The dad was riding to Ponderosa, in Wales, when he crashed near the Gailey Interchange, on the A5, near junction 12 of the M6, on May 4, 2024.

He claimed that National Highways was ultimately responsible for what happened due to a flawed road surface.

Simon, from Cannock[1], is now waiting for surgery to have nerves cut at the top of one leg which will mean he will permanently lose feeling in it.

National Highways said it could not comment on ongoing individual cases but that safety was its priority, BBC reports.[3]

Simon said he ended up on the ground just five minutes into his journey after the front wheel of his motorbike buckled from the impact with the pothole.

He was put on a spinal board for nine hours and taken to New Cross Hospital, in Wolverhampton.

Simon remained in hospital for five days.

He said: "It's not only affected my life, and my daily life not being able to do stuff as I normally would, but it's affected my daughter's life because I can't go out and do the stuff she likes to do.

Medics have told the dad he may never be able to work again, Simon said.

He added: "[Doctors] didn't think they would be able to close the hole in my knee because it was that big.

"Luckily, because I'm quite a skinny fella, they managed to pull the skin round to close it up."

Simon said he has under gone physio sessions, along with hydrotherapy and a further two operations.

He said he is in 'constant pain' and is waiting for a fourth operation.

A spokesperson said that they could not comment on the specifics of the events but that they were sorry to hear about Simon's injuries.

National Highways had a target of repairing the most serious defects within 24 hours of them being reported, they said.

The spokesperson added: "Safety is our primary concern, and we set stringent standards for pothole repairs on our roads."

National Highways, which operates and maintains major roads in England, is responsible for about 4,500 miles of motorways and major A roads which carry about a third of all traffic and about two-thirds of freight.

It said: "For the past four years we have consistently met the national target, ensuring that over 90 per cent of our motorways and major A-roads remain in good condition."

The Department for Transport target for the amount of the national road network to be 'maintained to a good condition' is 96 per cent, which National Highways said it had met.

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References

1. ^ Cannock (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ Exact date UK snow bomb to bring 11cm flurries to Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^ BBC reports. (www.bbc.co.uk)
4. ^ Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)