A pensioner is recovering in hospital after falling as she tried to avoid a speeding mobility scooter.
Pamela Box, 81, from Hove, was making a trip to her local supermarket with her daughter when the disability vehicle drove towards them on the pavement in Old Shoreham Road.
Mrs Box, who uses a walking wheels aid, and her daughter, who uses a walking stick, both fell over as they tried to get out of the way of the scooter.
Now she faces a six-week stay at Royal Sussex County Hospital after having to have an operation to fix her fractured knee.
Iain Box, her son, said he wanted to highlight the “growing menace” caused by mobility scooters being used on pavements.
He added: “This was caused by, I assume, a fellow disabled person on a mobility scooter being driven at reckless speeds.
More controls “They’re being driven by people who would generally be deemed unfit to drive a car.
“I accept that they often offer an invaluable lifeline for elderly and disabled people but there need to be more controls in place to prevent incidents like these becoming commonplace.”
'Feeling terrible'
Mrs Box said she was “feeling terrible” but wanted to thank two men in delivery vans who helped her following the fall on March 1.
She said: “I don’t know who they were but the gentlemen who helped me were marvellous and I want to thank them for their help when I was flat out on the pavement.
“As always the ambulance crew were also terrific and the staff here at the hospital have been looking after me very |well.
“I just hope I can get back to my feet walking again and return to my normal life when I come out of here.
“I know the mobility scooters are a necessity for some people, but the fact the driver didn’t even stop to see if I was ok after we fell down is what upsets me the most.”
Following a successful operation, Mrs Box now faces a course of physiotherapy to help her regain the use of her leg.
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