Poorly repaired pothole sends motorcyclist to hospital

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- For drivers, potholes can be a nuisance, maybe even cause some car damage. But for one motorcyclist a poorly repaired pothole sent him to the hospital.

Elvin Miller broke his leg in three places and shattered his ankle. Miller will need two metal rods put in his leg to walk again.

Right before the accident Miller said, "I tried to avoid it, but as soon as I hit it, my tires just lost it."

On his motorcycle on Scott Street near airport Monday, Miller drove over a pothole. He says it was covered up and it look like it was fixed.

Miller described what happened next, "I felt the gravel go. I just remember rolling on the ground. My helmet hitting the ground. I can hear the sound -- boom, boom, boom."

Miller's girlfriend was driving behind him, she slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting him.

Miller said, "I seen cars coming and I was like oh, I gotta get up out of the street. I tried to lift myself up and it spun around one time. Oh, that was it."

Road rash covers Miller's arms and parts of his body. His family returned to where that pothole was Friday and snapped pictures. They say the pothole was covered with fresh cement, two days after the accident.

Miller now blames the City of Houston for his accident.

"By them putting that gravel, I think that was trying to do a quick fix. By me hurting myself and them covering it up like that. I felt that was wrong."

Doctors say he will need three more surgeries on his leg and physical therapy. Miller wants to know why the pothole was not fixed before his accident.

He said, "If y'all would have done y'all work the right way, the first time. This could have been avoided."

ABC-13 reached out to the City of Houston for a response, but has not heard back.