A woman was seriously injured after falling into a 3-foot pothole in Bridgeport.

Medical records show 39-year-old Artrena Francis, of Bridgeport, fractured her ankle and suffered nerve damage after falling into the pothole on Center Street and getting stuck there.

She says she got stuck while trying to cross the street a week ago. Francis says from the moment a neighbor rushed to help her and she tried to stand up, she knew how serious the injury was because she couldn't place her full weight on the leg.

An official says the hole, "is actually closer in definition to a sink hole with a breach at the rim than an actual pothole, making the danger it poses to life and limb much more significant."

Francis says after she reported the accident, the city did place a barrel over the hole but somebody ran over it Saturday, leaving the hazard exposed.

City officials tell News 12 they cordoned off the hole and are investigating.