A woman ‘broke’ her leg in half after jumping into the sea from a pier in North Tyndeside.
Leone Morrison has issued a warning to swimmers as temperatures soar after her horrific injury that fractured both bones in her left lower leg.
The 21-year-old has asked pierspringers to check water depths and beware of outgoing tides before diving in after breaking her leg and splintering her spine on a pier in Cullercoats on Sunday.
The Heworth, Tyne and Wear call center worker and her two friends had previously jumped safely off the 15-foot pier, and she decided to take the plunge again.
However, by the time she was back on the pier and ready to jump, the tide had receded and she had unknowingly fallen freely into shallow waters.
After the jump, Leone fractured her tibia and fibula and was forced to drag herself to the beach, where she was quickly rushed to the hospital.
She later had surgery where a metal rod was inserted through her knee and into her leg to prop up the injury.
Leone also suffered a spinal injury which, along with her broken leg, is believed to take around three months to heal.
Leone Morrison, 21, of Tyne and Wear, “broke her leg in half” when she landed in shallow water after jumping off a pier
The call center worker had jumped from the pier earlier in the day but hadn’t realized the tide had receded when she attempted to jump again
The 21-year-old fractured both her tibia and fibula when she hit the seabed, as well as her spine
The video shows Leone inhaling gas and air while being carried to an ambulance
Leone had a metal bar inserted through her knee and up her leg to support the recovering bones
A shocking video captured the moment Leone ran to the edge of the pier before throwing herself into the shallow water.
As she dives into the water, the clip cuts to her to conserve gas and air while she is carried to safety on a stretcher.
Sharing the video to TikTok on Tuesday, Leone warned everyone to check the depth before jumping and said it could have been a lot worse but I only suffered from a broken tibia and fibula.
Leone said: “Me and some friends were at the beach and we saw people jumping off the pier so we decided to do it.
“It was a hot day so my boyfriend and I decided to jump and then we swam in the sea for a bit.
“Our other friend jumped in but he got out because it was cold then me and my friend decided to get out too.
“So we got out and went back to our friend.
“I decided I wanted to jump back in because I loved the adrenaline rush it gave me, but once I jumped in the tide it was gone and it was a lot shallower.
“I hit a sand bar when I hit the ground and my left leg just broke in half.
“I managed to drag myself this 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’m still in the hospital trying to warn people it’s not worth it.
“The pain wasn’t as bad then as I was on the adrenaline rush, but now it’s a solid eight out of ten since I had surgery on my leg to put my tibia and fibula back together.
“My advice would be to make sure 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.”
Leone said the pain was “excruciating” but hopes people will learn from their mistake
Leone was with other pierspringers to make sure they knew how deep the water was and to remember the outgoing tide
She uploaded a video to her TikTok account showing her jumping off the pier and then seen on a stretcher being carried by lifeguards and paramedics
Leone was able to pull herself out of the water, she said the adrenaline meant the pain wasn’t too bad
She underwent surgery and a cast was put on her left leg. She said the pain was a “solid eight out of ten”.
The video has now garnered over 50,000 views with thousands of likes and dozens of comments from users wishing Leone a speedy recovery.
One user said: “Oh bless you lashes to the point but baby.”
Another wrote: “I saw videos of people doing this and got paralyzed by it. I’m glad you’re doing well and I wish you a speedy recovery
To which Leone replied: “I know it could have been a very different story, thanks x”.
Leone also commented that the pain was “excruciating” and that she would need another operation to be able to walk again.
RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor Andy Choumanidis said: “We are advising all beachgoers to choose a beach with lifeguards this summer because if you do get into trouble in and around the water one of our staff will be on hand shortly to assist .
“We also advise beachgoers to check the tides before swimming as low tides can be deceptively dangerous.”
