A father of two tragically passed away in a freak accident involving a pothole. He had been riding his motorcycle when he struck the dip in the road.
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Sadly, 43-year-old Andrew Freakley was slung from his bike into an oncoming car after hitting a pothole. The incident happened in central England. According to the Telegraph, the father of two was trying to pass a truck when he struck the pothole.
Prior to his death, the pothole was flagged to the city council twice, but hadn't been fixed. Lindsey Tonks, the North Staffordshire coroner, determined it caused the accident.
"Andy was an experienced rider," she said. "He was used to riding that particular motorcycle and he was used to that stretch of road. But unfortunately, as a result of the motorcycle becoming destabilized, Andy was unable to correct it, and it led to the outcome."
Pothole Causes Fatal Accident
She also confirmed that he wasn't driving recklessly and that he was obeying the law.
"I'm satisfied from the evidence that this was a completely unavoidable situation for the Volvo driver. Who had taken all measures he could to avoid the collision but was unable to do so," the coroner also added. "I'm satisfied that the presence of the pothole contributed to Andy's death, along with his speed at the time and his decision to perform this maneuver."
Following the death of the father of two, the city eventually repaired the pothole. Freakley's stepfather, Kevin Freakley, questioned why it couldn't have been done sooner.
"It's clear from the evidence by the council that they'd identified this defect and its need for repair. And it was aimed to be repaired within 45 days, and there's no dispute it didn't happen within the timeframe," Tonks said, per Stoke-on-TrentLive. "I note the guidance that sets out a 45-day time limit specifically refers to this being an aim, not a statutory guideline, so I can't say they failed to uphold their guidance."
However, a Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesperson said the pothole was "assessed as being in a lower-risk category because of its size and position in an area marked with diagonal lines between the two main [roadways]."
"We have a strict, risk-based approach to scheduling repairs in order to make the best use of limited resources. The pothole involved in this incident was repaired in October 2025," the spokesman continued. "This was a tragic incident, and our sympathies are with Mr. Freakley's family and friends."
