A dance teacher last night told how she will spend the next nine months in a body brace after claiming she fractured her back while riding on the pleasure boat Wild Cat.

Jeanne Legere, who owns Jackson School of Dance, said she felt her back "snap" while riding on the boat last month to celebrate her nephew's birthday.

She spent five days in hospital and is now facing up to 18 months off work while her back injury repairs.

The 51-year-old mother of three said although she suffers from the very early stages of osteoporosis, her own general practitioner had told her that, while that may have played a slight role, the fracture had been the result of "significant trauma".

As a result, Mrs. Legere and her husband Bob are now seeking legal advice.

"I have a broken back," said Mrs. Legere.

"Basically, my vertebrae exploded and crushed when we were going fairly fast over the waves along South Shore.

"I was wearing a Velcro seatbelt around my waist, but there was nothing to support my shoulders, so I was jerking forwards and backwards. It was unreal. I literally heard my back break and then the pain was horrendous."

Mrs. Legere questioned last night whether the waves were too high and rough for the Wild Cat to be travelling at such speed, and said passengers should also have been more securely strapped in and forced to wear life jackets, particularly as children as young as four were on board.

However, Edward Lawrence, who has operated the pleasure boat trips for three years with his family members, said on the day in question, Sunday, September 15, the weather conditions were normal for the boat.

He said that after Mrs. Legere reported her injury, the trip was abandoned for the morning, the boat was immediately turned around and medical assistance called for.

However, he said he and his partners called about 80 percent of the other people on the boat afterwards and everyone said they had enjoyed the ride and felt safe - some even going again the next day.

Mr. Lawrence said: "I don't know if she damaged her back on the Wild Cat, but she complained of a sore back on the Wild Cat.

"We don't think that the Wild Cat caused any injury for Mrs. Legere. Our insurers are trying to find out if it was a pre-existing condition before she took the ride.

"The boat has certainly been out in worse conditions and everyone has been fine. In the three years we have been operating, we have taken thousands of passengers and never had anything like this happen before."

Mr. Lawrence said it was one of the strongest boats in the world and could easily cut through waves without any danger to passengers.

And he said when passengers booked the ride, there was a disclaimer stating that certain people, such as pregnant women and children under four, should not travel.

But he said on the particular day, the pilot had even been apologising to passengers because he believed the seas were not as rough as they usually liked.

"People are repeatedly told beforehand that the trip is going to be a rough and fun ride," said Mr. Lawrence.

"It's like a roller coaster. The boat is strong and people are safe."

However, Mrs. Legere last night said she and doctors fully believed the injury had been caused by the ride, and said she did not want it to happen to anyone else.

"I'm very lucky; I could have been paralysed," added Mrs. Legere.

"If my disc had collapsed upwards into my spinal column, the problems would have been much worse. As it is, I can walk, but I must wear a brace for about nine months to keep my back in place and it could be up to eighteen months until it is heeled. I cannot work in that time.

"My main concern is that this does not happen to anyone else. I just feel they should take extra measures on the boat to ensure that someone else is not hurt. I think there should be better safety precautions."

Assistant director of Marine and Ports Mike Dolding said yesterday that he knew of the injury and was waiting for more information on the matter.

"We are aware of the incident. Mrs. Legere's husband came specifically to us and reported it," he said.

"We have asked him for a report, which we have not received yet, and we have asked the operator of the boat for a report, which we have also not received yet.

"It's my understanding that the Police are also conducting their own investigation, so we will be discussing it with them to find out what, if anything, they intend to do."