Montreal cyclist says ‘miracle’ she’s alive after hitting pothole, goes into coma

A 50-year-old Montreal woman says she’s lucky to be alive after hitting a pothole while cycling in the city last month — an accident that left her in a coma for a week.

On July 18, Mélanie Guindon was riding her bike southbound on Guy Street near downtown when one of her wheels got stuck in a deep pothole near the bike path just before the intersection with St-Jacques Street.

The impact sent the young grandmother of three flying over the handlebars, landing on her elbows and hitting her head. She was not wearing a helmet, an unfortunate choice she says she regrets.

A passerby called 911, and Guindon was taken by ambulance to the Montreal General Hospital, where she was placed in a medically induced coma twice due to the severity of her injuries. She says she suffered a severe head trauma with bleeding.

“There was a high risk I would die in the first 24 hours,” Guindon said in an interview with Global Tuesday. “It’s a miracle.”

When she came out of the coma in early August, she said she struggled to think clearly or speak in full sentences.

Now recovering at home, Guindon, an artist and massage therapist, has been unable to return to work. She says she’s still unable to ride a bike or drive a car and describes herself as “a prisoner” in her home.

The woman’s near-fatal accident has raised further concerns about the condition of Montreal’s roads. According to the city’s auditor general report released this week, nearly 25 per cent of streets are in poor condition.

“It’s not surprising,” said Nicolas Ryan, a spokesperson for CAA-Quebec. “We need to have a discussion at all levels of government — where is the money, and how can we reinvest in our roads to make them safer?”

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Guindon says she does not expect to recover enough to return to work before the new year, and she is considering legal action against the city.

The City of Montreal has not responded to requests for comment.

City workers have since sectioned off the part of the road where her accident happened.

— With files from Global News’ Phil Carpenter