'Dangerous water challenge has left me with one leg shorter than the other'
A woman has told of how she was left almost completely paralysed when her leg snapped in half after jumping off a 15ft pier into shallow waters on a beach.
Leone Morrison says she made the big jump because "it looked fun", but her injuries have left her with one leg shorter than the other. Now, she is now warning others against the dangers of "tombstoning."
The 22-year-old says she has jumped off cliffs and waterfalls before on holiday, so believed she knew how to do so "safely" – and although the first time went swimmingly, the second time caused her left leg to snap in half. Leone, who is a call centre worker, has been left lopsided since her legs are different lengths.
(Jam Press Vid/Leone Morrison)
She is now recovering with physiotherapy (Jam Press Vid/Leone Morrison)"I was left disorientated and I tried to swim off, dragging myself forward with just my arms because my leg felt so strange," Leone, from Gateshead, told NeedToKnow.co.uk. "As I lifted it up, there was a sickening snap and a sharp pain tore through me. The shock of the impact must have taken some of the edge off the pain initially, but then I was in sheer agony. I didn't want to get out of the water in case it made it worse."
She claims five lifeguards ran to her rescue, before placing her on gas and air, then onto a stretcher. Leone, who was confused about what had happened, was told that the shore had gone out when she jumped, making the area unsafe for this activity.
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As the ambulance arrived, she was blue-lighted to the nearest hospital to have extensive X-rays taken, where they confirmed she had broken both bones in her left shin.
She said: "I felt like throwing up, as I'd also chipped my spine and damaged my knee, as well as snapped my tibia and fibula. But I'm thankful, as it could've been a lot worse."
Leone has been left with one leg shorter than the other after jumping into shallow waters (Jam Press/Leone Morrison)Leone has since had a four-and-a-half-hour operation to fuse her bones back together with a metal rod. Her recovery has involved physiotherapy, and is on medication to help with her PTSD and anxiety. She is now trying to stay positive and says he will never jump off a cliff into the sea again – but most importantly, is thankful that she's alive.
She took to TikTok to share her ordeal in July 2022, racking up 65,000 views on one video, in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of "tombstoning." In one clip, Leone is shown jumping from the pier, before she can be seen puffing on gas and air while being attended to by paramedics.
Medics rushed to Leone's aid (Jam Press Vid/Leone Morrison)
Leone says she is thankful to be alive (Jam Press/Leone Morrison)One user Laura said: "I’ve worked in spinal injury centres before. I am BEGGING people not to do this". [sic] Amber wrote: "Good job you didn’t go head first. Feel better soon." Another comment read: "Jesus Christ I'm so glad it wasn't worse. hope you make a quick recovery". [sic]
Another person said: "Babeeee you were so brave!! Good to bring awareness to this just as summer is starting! X" [sic] Nat added: "Really important message and you're soooo lucky. I bet the pain was awful". [sic] Another person wrote: "It's not called tombstoning for nothing. I hope you have a speedy recovery you lucky thing xx". [sic]
Leone added: "It's been tough, as I've got nerve damage through the bottom of my foot, a quarter of my leg, and my knee. I still get really bad pains and the wind affects me too — when it's cold, it's the worst and when I'm too hot it hurts as well, it gets affected by temperature quite badly.
"I can't bend down on my knee either and I have to be careful not to put pressure on it or bear too much weight through it. My leg has also lengthened by one centimetre which affects my hips and doctors are unable to shorten it, so it will be that way for the rest of my life."
Leone is now raising awareness of the dangers of "tomb stoning" (Jam Press Vid/Leone Morrison)
Leone says she has jumped off cliffs and waterfalls before on holiday (Jam Press Vid/Leone Morrison)She added "I walk with a waddle and have a four-inch scar stretching from my shin to the top of my knee. I don't speak with the [friends I was with that day] anymore, which is weird, but they didn't bother with me and it's made me so much happier not having to deal with that.
"I think something positive to come out of this is other people telling me that they've learned from me. A lot of people were coming to me from my TikTok and then my mum posted a status on Facebook too which got a good response. The sun's out again now and I know everyone is thinking about their holidays – but I want to warn everyone: please don't do what I did, it's just not worth it. I'm lucky to be able to walk, let alone still be alive today."
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