MILWAUKEE — Brittany Hillhouse was riding home from a concert with her husband early Wednesday when her Lime scooter struck a pothole on Kane Avenue, sending her to the pavement and into a lengthy hospital recovery. Hillhouse, 42, suffered fractures to her shoulder, jaw and elbow, along with a mild concussion. Doctors performed several hours of surgery Friday morning. Her treatment has included screws and plates in her shoulder, an elbow replacement and a plate in her jaw. “The scooter went out from under her, she went down, hit her head,” her husband, Brent Hillhouse, said. Hillhouse said the pothole was difficult to see in the darkness. She remains hospitalized and said the injuries could permanently affect her life and ability to work. “I might never be the same again because of a pothole like that is ridiculous,” she said. The crash has renewed attention on Milwaukee’s persistent street-maintenance backlog. Ald. Peter Burgelis said the city had received about 24,000 pothole reports through the end of August. Crews had repaired approximately 16,000, leaving about 8,000 reports still awaiting work. Burgelis is advocating for the city to use $300,000 in already-budgeted money to hire outside contractors. He also said Milwaukee is discussing whether Milwaukee County road crews could take on overtime work for the city, though some Common Council members have not supported the proposal. “One resolution isn’t going to fix our roads,” Burgelis said. For the Hillhouses, the numbers represent a broader safety issue. They said they hope the city addresses dangerous road conditions before another person is seriously injured. “This should not happen to anybody,” Hillhouse said. The couple has created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay medical expenses and other costs connected to her recovery.