17-year-old Leah Washington has had her left leg amputated following the rollercoaster crash that took place in Alton Towers last week.
Leah was one of several passengers who had to be transported to hospital after the tragic incident, which saw a carriage containing ride-goers on the park’s ‘The Smiler’ attraction crash into an unmanned carriage that had been wrongly left on the tracks. Leah had visited the park on a first date with 18-year-old Joe Pugh, who sustained two broken knees and extensive hand injuries, with another park visitor, 20-year-old Vicky Balch, still in hospital in a serious but stable condition, with reports claiming that both her legs were crushed in the incident.
David Washington, Leah’s father, released a statement following the announcement that his daughter would be forced to undergo the amputation, saying: “Leah has suffered a life-changing injury and now has many months of rehabilitation ahead of her. We have [released the statement] to put people’s minds at rest and we would also ask everyone to respect Leah’s privacy as she undergoes this rehabilitation.”
A spokeswoman for Alton Towers stated that the theme park would support the families of all those involved in the crash, saying: “We are deeply saddened by Leah’s news, and all our thoughts are with her and her family. We have made contact with all the families and have assured them that we will provide full support to all of those involved now, and throughout their recovery and rehabilitation.”
The theme park, located in Staffordshire, reopened this morning (June 8th) to a relatively large crowd of those looking to take advantage of the free tickets being handed out by the park in order to entice people to return. The Smiler is still closed as the carriages involved in the crash are being analysed in laboratory in Buxton, in order to determine how the incident happened.
Photo: Getty Images
