- Brave Leah Washington, 17, posed for first picture since leg amputation
- Teenager was seriously injured during horror crash on ride at Alton Towers
- Another young woman, Vicky Balch, 20, also lost leg during horrific smash
- Inspirational Miss Washington is pictured smiling surrounded by friends
A
brave teenager who lost a leg following a horrific rollercoaster crash
at Alton Towers has posed for her first picture since the amputation.
Inspirational
Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, can be seen
smiling alongside friends and family just weeks after her leg was
amputated following the June 2 crash.
Miss
Washington had her leg amputated above her left knee while another
young woman who was also on the ride, Vicky Balch, 20, had her right leg
amputated below the knee last weekend.
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Leah Washington, 17, (pictured centre)
from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, shared this picture of herself
smiling alongside friends and family just weeks after her leg was
amputated following the June 2 crash
Miss
Washington was on a first date with new boyfriend Joe Pugh when their
carriage - carrying 16 people - ploughed into the one in front.
Both
Miss Balch and Miss Washington were riding in the front seats on board
the Smiler ride at the Staffordshire theme park when it collided with
another car which had been left on the track.
The
new picture, which was posted on Facebook and already has 426 'likes',
shows the 17-year-old is firmly on the road to recovery - and friends
were quick to tell her how brave and inspirational she has been.
One
wrote: 'What a wonderful picture <3 xxx' while another said 'What a
great pic, all solid good friends together. Best wishes Leah x.'
Leah was with her boyfriend, Joe Pugh (right), on the Smiler ride when the horrific accident happened
Another said: 'Lovely pic... you're an amazing young lady Leah.'
Leah
Washington, 17, (left) had her right leg amputated above the knee
shortly after the crash. Vicky Balch, 20, (right) became the second
passenger from the ride to lose a leg after the horrific crash at Alton
Towers
Speaking
at the time of the accident, Miss Balch said she felt the metal bars
enter her leg after the collision before passing out, and waking up to
see blood covering the carriage.
Both young women have described how they waited for more than four hours on the ride before they were freed.
Miss
Washington's boyfriend Joe Pugh, 18, has previously described how he
tried to comfort his girlfriend as she screamed in the seat next to him
while her jeans were soaked in blood.
Last month Miss Washington's brother, Luke, described how machines were 'keeping her going' while she was in intensive care.
Leah, pictured with Towie star Joey Essex, has received huge support from friends online since the crash
Luke Washington said she was 'heavily sedated' when he visited her in hospital shortly after the crash.
He
told the BBC: 'She was in intensive care so she had machines keeping
her going. It was only the day after they took her off that and she was
back to breathing on her own.
'She had a rapid recovery. Each day has gone by and she has improved and improved.'
Vicky Balch, 20 (right), who lost her
leg in the Alton Towers crash, is pictured alongside Major Kate Philp,
35, who also had a limb amputated
Speaking
about Leah's condition at the time, Mr Washington said: 'Compared to
last week when I got to hospital and saw her for the first time, it's a
world of difference.
'It's
amazing to see her. It was yesterday I walked into the room for the
first time that day and she was stood up. To see her from the condition
she was in to now being stood up is great.'
He added: 'We've all been there for Leah but she's the one who's kept us going. She's just done amazing.
'I don't know where she's got this strength from but it's really opened our eyes.'
Following
the accident her boyfriend Mr Pugh was treated for shattered kneecaps,
while Daniel Thorpe, 27, a hotel manager from Buxton in Derbyshire was
treated for a collapsed lung and fractured leg.
Chandaben Chauhan, 49, of Wednesbury, West Midlands, also suffered injuries.
Both of Mr Pugh's knees were smashed in the June 2 crash and he faces months of physiotherapy.
He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s amazing, but the accident really has brought the two of us even closer together.
‘We
had mutual friends before, but in hospital her friends were coming to
see me and mine would go and see her. It’s become an ever-wider and
closer circle of friends.’
Meanwhile, earlier this week Miss Balch shared the first picture of herself since undergoing surgery to remove her leg.
She
was pictured sitting alongside Major Kate Philp, an Afghanistan veteran
who also had her leg amputated below the knee after being hit by a
roadside bomb in 2008.
Posting
the image on her Twitter page, Miss Balch wrote: 'Today I was inspired
by a very amazing woman Major Kate Philp and I hope one day I can do the
same for somebody else.'
The picture is believed to have been taken at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, where Vicky is said to be recovering.
Major
Philp was the only woman to take part in the Walking With The Wounded
trek to the South Pole alongside Prince Harry two years ago.
Miss Balch has
previously told of how she waited four hours in agony for emergency
services to rescue her from the ride, saying how she 'just wanted to
die' during the ordeal. Above, the ride on the day of the crash
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