A CALL CENTRE worker has issued a warning to swimmers after ‘snapping her leg in half’ in a horror pier jump accident.
Leone Morrison has pleaded with pier jumpers to check water depths before leaping after breaking her leg at a pier in Cullercoats, North Tyneside on Sunday.
The 21-year-old and her two friends had already jumped from the 15ft pier safely just moments earlier.
However, by the time Leone, from Heworth, Tyne and Wear, decided to jump again the tide had gone out and she unknowingly took the plunge into shallow waters.
Having made the leap Leone snapped her tibia and fibula and was forced to drag herself on to the beach where she was quickly rushed to hospital.
She later received surgery where a metal rod was placed through her knee and into her leg to support the injury.
Leone also chipped her spine which combined with her broken leg is suspected to take around three months to heal.
A shocking video captured the moment Leone ran to the edge of the pier before launching herself into the shallow waters.
As she plunges into the water the clip cuts to her receiving gas and air whilst being carried to safety on a stretcher.
Leone shared the video to TikTok on Tuesday writing: “To anyone jumping off cliffs this summer make sure you check the depth at the bottom.
“It could have been a whole lot worse but I’ve only suffered from a snapped tibia and fibula.
“Please be careful this summer.”
The video has now collected over 27,000 views with thousands of likes and dozens of comments from users who wish Leone a speedy recovery.
One user said: “Oh bless you, lashes on point though babe.”
Another wrote: “You’re very lucky but on the road to recovery now.”
A third commented: “Oh god, I hope you recover quickly.”
A fourth added: “Oh my god – you are one lucky lady.”
A fifth replied: “Get well soon.”
Speaking today Leone said: “Myself and a few friends were at the beach and we saw people jumping off the pier so we decided we would do it.
“It was a hot day so me and my friend decided to jump and then we swam in the sea for a little bit.
“Our other friend jumped in but he got out as it was cold then me and my friend decided to get out as well.
“So we got out and walked back up to where our friend was sitting.
“I decided I wanted to jump in again as I loved the adrenaline rush it gave me but when I jumped in the tide had gone out and it was much more shallow.
“I hit a sand bank as I hit the floor and my left leg just ended up snapping in half.
“I managed to drag myself so far out of the sea and then an off duty nurse came and helped and I couldn’t thank them enough.
“The lifeguards came and now I am still in hospital trying to warn people it’s not worth it.
“The pain at the time wasn’t as bad as I was high on adrenaline but now it’s a solid eight out of ten as I’ve had surgery on my leg to put my tibia and fibula back together.
“My advice would be to make sure to check that it’s deep enough to jump or just don’t do it at all as it could have been a whole different story for me.”
RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, Andy Choumanidis said: “We advise all beachgoers to choose a lifeguarded beach this summer as if you find yourself in trouble in and around the water, one of our team will shortly be on hand to help.
‘We also advise beachgoers to check the tide times before swimming, as low tide can be deceivingly dangerous.”
