A STUNTMAN who broke his back and tore his heart in a horrific 30ft trapeze fall at Legoland is suing for ￡200,000.
Parkour freerunner Brendan Pollitt landed on his chest on wooden decking when he hurtled the wrong way off a “Russian swing” while taking part in Legoland Windsor’s “Pirates of Skeleton Bay” show in July 2017.
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Brendan Pollitt broke his back and tore his heart in a horrific 30ft trapeze fall at Legoland Credit: Champion News 6
Mr Pollitt landed on his chest on wooden decking Credit: Champion News 6
He came off this 'Russian swing' while taking part in Legoland Windsor’s 'Pirates of Skeleton Bay' show in July 2017 Credit: Champion News
The 29-year-old was fronting a three-man team on the swing and, as the “flyer”, was meant to dive into a pool of water below once the swing had picked up enough momentum.
But he came backwards off the swing and broke his back and tore parts of his heart and liver after impacting with a wooden deck instead, his barrister Richard Wilkinson explained in court documents.
Mr Pollitt, from Rayleigh, Essex, is now suing show operators SGA Productions Ltd, who were contracted by Legoland to put on the pirate show.
The stuntman’s lawyers say his accident was the fault of the show’s operators, and the company is not disputing negligence.
“The intention was that the swing would be manoeuvred so that Mr Pollitt would be projected upwards and forwards by the swing enabling him to jump or dive into a pool located beneath the swing," his barrister said.
“However, on the occasion of his accident, the swing was pushed too high which caused the claimant to be projected backwards, rather than forwards.
“In consequence Mr Pollitt landed on the wooden decking surface that surrounded the pool, rather than in the water, having fallen from a height of around eight to 10 metres.
“He landed on his chest.”
Mr Pollitt says he was knocked out in the fall and suffered “serious and life-threatening injuries” - including smashed ribs and a collapsed lung, a torn liver, fractured chest bone and a fractured spine.
The former professional free runner, needed open heart surgery to treat damage done to the valve of his heart and will be on heart medication for the rest of his life, court papers say.
Other injuries included damage to both elbows, soft tissue injuries to both knees and a head injury, he claims.
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Before his fall, Mr Pollitt was “extremely fit and enjoyed a range of very physical activities”, said his barrister, but now he has to deal with chronic pain and has had to shelve many of his favourite pastimes.
But lawyers for SGA Productions Ltd say that Mr Pollitt must prove what, if any, injuries he suffered and how they have affected his life before any payout can be agreed.
No date has yet been fixed for the trial of his claim.
The talented acrobat flew high in the air during the performance at Legoland
He filed to grab onto the pole and plummeted towards the ground 6
The performer lay injured on the floor as fellow staff members rushed to help
Mum of kid ‘made to remove artificial leg before going on water slide’ in Legoland talks about the incident