A girl left severely disabled by a brain haemorrhage after going on a theme park ride is to sue Walt Disney World.

Leanne Deacon was 16 when she collapsed after stepping off the Tower of Terror ride during a family holiday in Florida.

Speaking exclusively to the Leicester Mercury, her mother, June, said lawyers in the United States had filed a claim for damages.

She said: "I think Disney are liable, but now the thing is proving it. Leanne's got her whole life ahead of her and she will need money to support herself.

"She can't live without money. If we don't get this, I don't know what will happen."

In the hours after the haemorrhage, Leanne, now 20, suffered two cardiac arrests and need neurosurgery to remove a blood clot from her brain.

The former Kibworth High School pupil spent months in therapy before finally returning to the-then family home in Kibworth.

Although Leanne can now talk to her mum and dad, Alan, she uses a wheelchair to get about and still gets support from the Headway brain injury charity.

Leanne said: "I'm doing as well as I can."

The family recently moved into a bungalow in Norfolk to give their daughter – who had been a lifeguard at Wigston swimming pool – a fresh start.

Her mum said she had no idea how much the claim would be for, but believed it would be more than the $15,000 reported in some newspapers.

Media reports said the lawsuit was filed in the state Circuit Court, in Orlando, on Wednesday.

The 57-year-old said: "We knew there was going to be a claim against Disney, but didn't know when. I honestly don't know what the figure is. I know the lawyer said we definitely had a case for damages, but we have never had a figure."

Treatment Leanne received in America, and the air ambulance to fly her back to Britain, cost insurers $3 million.

Her mum said although Leanne still needed support, she was doing well.

She said: "We moved to Norfolk because Leanne wanted a completely fresh start.

"We'd thought about it for a long time and the chance came up.

"It's what Leanne wanted. It's what we all wanted and it's certainly made a difference. Leanne is a lot happier.

"She's mainly in a wheelchair but does use a walking frame. She's in good spirits 99 per cent of the time. She's still got a good sense of humour."

Speaking from America, Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said: "We can't comment specifically on the lawsuit because we haven't seen it.

"However, as we have said previously, the ride was operating properly at the time."

The Tower of Terror opened in 1994 and puts riders in a lift that shoots up 13 storeys and then plummets back down.

At the time, Disney warned potential riders they should be "in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions".