A TEENAGER has been paid £20,000 compensation after her legs were crushed when she got wedged into the front of a log flume at Thorpe Park.

Leah Napolitano, 19, from Colchester was at the front of the carriage and claims the weight of her entire family behind forced her knees under the barrier.

Leah, who was 14 at the time, says she was left in agony and had to be pulled from the Loggers Leap log flume by staff when it came to an end.

Hospital tests showed she suffered nerve damage, a swollen knee joint, long-term hypersensitivity and soft tissue damage in her left leg.

Leah now also suffers from chronic anxiety, PTSD and depression and is unable to play sport.

She said: “My legs were completely trapped. I couldn’t move them for the whole way round. I got to the end and couldn’t get out.

“The boat was still moving and a staff member tried to yank me out. I was completely trapped under the metal bar at the front.

“They did stop the ride and it made it easier to get out but I was in a lot of pain. The money didn’t mean anything to me really, but it was the principle.”

Gazette:

  • The injuries on Leah's legs. Picture: SWNS/ Leah Napolitano

Her family complained to staff members two weeks after the incident and then dealt with Thorpe Park’s legal team, Chubb.

Leah rejected the firm’s first offer of £12,500, describing it as a joke.

Chubb came back with a second offer, of £20,000, which Leah accepted.

Gazette:

  • Pain - Leah has been left in agony. Picture: SWNS

She said: “When it happened I honestly thought it would just get better. I never expected it to impact on my life like it has.

“When I go out with my family, walking around can be agony.

“My doctor said I may never get back to normal. The pain has been hideous since day one. It’s there 24/7.”

The Logger’s Leap ride, on which Princess Diana was famously photographed with her sons, closed down in 2015.

A Thorpe Park spokesman said: “The details of Ms Napolitano‘s claim in 2014 were analysed by the company’s insurers, and after thorough consideration of the evidence submitted, an offer of compensation was made to Ms Napolitano, which she accepted as full and final settlement.”