Police officers said James Wadsworth, 60, wasn’t wearing a helmet Friday night when he hit a pothole on Roselle Street near the Sorrento Valley Coaster station.
On Monday, Wadsworth, who lives in Oceanside, was listed in critical condition after the serious accident.
Around 5:45, police say, passers-by found the man on the ground unconscious and not breathing, about seven feet away from the pothole, and gave him CPR until medics came. Medics had a pulse on the man before taking him to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
Wadsworth knows about severe injuries. He works as an intraoperative neurophysiology professional at UC San Diego Health. According to his LinkedIn page, his job involves the use of technical equipment during surgery to help alert surgeons if a patient is getting close to experiencing long-term damage to their central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord.
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Police officers on the scene said the pothole Wadsworth hit was approximately 15 inches by 30 inches wide and 3 inches deep.
Countless potholes formed across the county following heavy storms throughout January. The day after Wadsworth was hospitalized, San Diego mayor Todd Gloria addressed the issue, saying the city has a crew of 150 people dedicated to fixing potholes around town.
“Our city’s public-works teams and transportation department are working extended shifts seven days a week to get the job done,” Gloria said.
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Gloria also said the city of San Diego has a backlog of more than 1,600 pothole reports submitted via the Get It Done app; there are typically around 200 requests per day. He also spoke about Wadsworth’s accident: “Our heart goes out to anyone impacted by these types of things. This is exactly why we are prioritizing more funding for more road repair. We recognize that this is not just an inconvenience but a safety issue.”
According to his LinkedIn page, Wadsworth has worked at UC San Diego Health for the last 21 months. For privacy reasons, UC San Diego Health said it could not comment on the case.
