Alton Towers victim reunited with the medics who saved her life

ITV News captures the moment that Alton Towers crash victim Leah Washington is reunited with the team of medics that saved her life.
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[@ikibiki123]

Some people are disgusting, poor girl went through a horrible thing no one should ever have to. Yet they are name calling her and going on about whatever finance she has been given, like that matters. Am sure she would rather not be mentally, physically and emotionally scared with a missing leg. Just move on and stop with the unnecessary hate.

[@maxonwolf5841]

Ikra Ki THANK YOU

[@parisgabriella7605]

Ikra Ki yes!

[@jameschristmas3206]

I feel for this girl. I really do. No one, particularly this young, should have to have their leg amputated

[@kathp6689]

2 girls lost a leg. 1 lad had both kneecaps smashed and had fingers hanging off.

[@scarletiscool00]

@@kathp6689 what about the other one? i heard there were 4? unless the 4th one is okay?

[@xavierplymptonstongue54]

@@scarletiscool00 there were 5 injured, two girls had to have their leg amputated

[@scarletiscool00]

@@xavierplymptonstongue54 oh

[@Tomversal]

Especially in situations that are supposed to bring joy

[@saltyipaint]

My dad, his girlfriend and his friend were in a near fatal car accident last year. Sadly my dads friend passed away but my dad and his girlfriend survived. They both went to see the medics who saved there lives and they said that they were the first people in 18 years to say thank you to them. Honestly that’s just sad that’s there’s people who work hard to save people lives and get near to nothing in return. Not even a thank you.

[@WharfGallery]

With me being a massive enthusiast and a fan of The Smiler, I give all respect to Leah! She's an inspiration to me and so many other people across the UK! Stay strong Leah!

[@KoasterKing205]

Gorgeous girl! Stay strong Leah!

[@KoasterKing205]

What you talking about?

[@beepbeep2711]

+KoasterKing 205 look at photos of her on google, her left leg is always bent, she's dependent in a person or a hand rail, or chest of draws. A quick recovery. Where's her parents? Confident speaking teenagers. If you were in a freak accident would you be so very proud to be famous? Countless interviews celebrity status, I know I certainly would not. Google crisis actors. It opens up a whole can of beans. A quick recovery, why do the paramedics laugh at the end? What is so funny? The only thing about the girl with the amputated leg is it was always amputated before all this farce. The park was almost at a close that day. Time to say 'and that's a rap' 4 hours to rescue them, 4 hours?? They had time to build a scaffold. Was that to add to the OMG factor! I've never seen a rescue last 4 hours they'd have died there and then. The priority would have been get them off ASAP. Which hospital did she go to? Let's see if there are any records?

[@KoasterKing205]

Beepbeep Jesus fucking Christ! I think you & this other idiot are thinking WAY to deep into this! Why the hell would anyone fake this shit? Tell me that!? And why are you people telling me this shit? I posted a comment saying for Leah to stay strong & I get you & this other git hassling me about these so called conspiracy theories! I don't fucking care! Anyways the news have a very good way of exaggerating things so take what they say with a pinch of salt cos it's mostly just them, but these incidents are real why anyone would fake this shit is beyond me. Just what kind of kick would the park the news & anyone else involved get out of this? These injuries are fucking real & I simply can;t see like ive said twice why anyone would fake it! Theres simply no need! Alton Towers themselves are losing 40 million odd & the park is quite as a grave yard (theres evidence of that) so tell me why the hell they would do that what kick do you think anyone would get out of faking a crash & injury like this? theres photos of Leah with 2 legs before this & the injuries her bf suffered look real & unfakeable along with pictures of him with his parents so seriously you & this other wacko are blowing this way out of proportion !!

[@KoasterKing205]

Baby blue eyes How the fuck can you say that!?

[@KoasterKing205]

mave buchanan exactly wtf u on

[@Tralaaable]

the comments saying the whole thing is fake is ludicrous.. those saying theres 'no evidence' google the wreckage of the carriage, the bars had been crushed up to the seats, I can't even imagine the pain those 4 went through in the 4 hours of being rescued. The scaffolding - those saying 'how did they get scaffolding up so quickly, one they are trained professionals who deal with emergencies all the time, especially at awkward angles, they are trained for shit like that! So that being put up was to get to those on the ride to get them out, they weren't going to just get a ladder to hopefully recover them, scaffolding isn't even that hard to put up. There has also now been CCTV footage of the smiler crash of it happening. I can't believe people are saying this shit is fake, why would alton towers go through all of this to get attention? They are one of the most popular and biggest attraction parks in the UK. They wouldn't plan this in the middle of the season for when their profits go sky high for them to close the park for a week and close the smiler for a year, which also caused them a huge fine and loss of profits because customers not wanting to risk their lives on what seems to be a human error on their employees. I believe it was a huge error on communication. Also a reason they got a lot of money for the injuries caused is because of the promise alton towers makes to their customers, customers don't sign a contract saying if anything were to happen i.e. a crash, that would then be counted as the customers fault. No, the park has to legally make sure their rides are functioning properly and aren't breaking any rules, which had been done on that day, that ride wasn't suppose to run, it was said that the ride cannot run over 34mph of wind and it ran on 43mph, so thats a fault in their own system. The miss communication wasn't the fault of those riding. So those saying that its stupid that they received so much money for the crash over soldiers who have lost legs is silly, those soldiers have to sign a contract knowing what could happen to them, they know that by signing that contract they might not come out of tours alive, they know what they are getting themselves in for (I know it sounds insensitive but they do) whereas those on the ride didn't, they expected to queue and go on a ride that should last less than a minute and instead they were on that ride for over 6 hours (if you include the waiting time). this is also like saying that car crashes are faked, as those who are affected by a huge crash can get huge sums of money as well as they didn't know that they were going to be involved in a car accident.

[@kathp6689]

The victims didn't receive the fine money. That was purely for the HSE. They had to claim seperately.

[@harrietsmells]

It’s the injuries and the trauma. The pain must’ve been unbearable and unforgettable

[@savannahrhiannon7879]

For all of u saying Leah is an actor no she isn't!!!! she is a friend of my family... u make good points but don't have proof she's an actor so shut up!!!!!!!

[@danielledewitt1]

Savannah Van De How is she doing now. Tragic crash. Ignore the morons who think it was faked. For starters the park was open to the public but certain idiots fail to accept that fact yet can't provide proof that it was shut because they have no proof.

[@savannahrhiannon7879]

She is fine thank you.... She is such an inspiration to all my family.... She is so brace!! Thank you for your reply❤️

[@danielledewitt1]

Savannah Van De I follow her on twitter. She is an inspiration I agree. I'm the one on twitter called Mycattoby2009 in case she was wondering who on earth that was. She seems a lovely girl.

[@lostaccounxt2123]

" You don't have proof". Where's your proof? _I'm not saying you aren't._

[@danielledewitt1]

timothy wait Yes both of them. I still ride coasters though.

[@jenweber2857]

Bless her heart! I know she will be doing big things in life. She’s as strong as she is beautiful. God bless her and all the heroes that saved her that fateful day.

[@JonathanAnon]

I don't know why people are trolling her. Even if she was making a few quid out of the accident, nothing would replace her leg. Very sad for such a young girl. Cruel.

[@daveclark9233]

salutations to her. she deserves it. stay strong leah X

[@moirajax1088]

Losing a leg is a high price to pay for being 'able' to be a crisis actress.

[@fifaclips2722]

@@moirajax1088 OML It wasn’t acting u idiot There is video proof Her legs were crushed by the metal of the coaster The coaster went full speed into the other coaster

[@Ainley_James]

I love them all for getting through that hard time ❤❤❤❤❤btw way I live in Barnsley's and I've seen her a couple times

[@timothywait9457]

i vagaliy know know someone who vagaily knows her and joe she told me they make beer for a hobby

[@michaelmuldowney8]

Amazing work from the guys - you can’t possibly train for the exact conditions they faced.

[@gemmamusto2284]

Stay strong Leah x

[@JaneDoe-rj4jn]

Omg did I hear right. This interview was done a week after the accident? Poor thing my god you’d have some major ptsd. The thought of the agony and not being rescued for four hours!!!!

[@timothywait9457]

Jane Doe she would have been in for more then a week

[@Humvee369]

So first of all you're an emergency trauma clinician - which is pretty damn outstanding already. Then you add being able to fly a helicopter and attend even more complex emergencies. Phenomenal people.

[@thatgirlnoonelikes5536]

I went on the ride yesterday and honestly it kind of scared me. I'm not a person to get scared on rides but it's different when you know an accident happened there.

[@timothywait9457]

That girl No one Likes i have been on before and after the crash its a safe ride it was a ride operator man

[@draven7798]

What would be the point to fake this?

[@fifaclips2722]

Why do people keep saying she faked it There is video proof ffs There is security footage and bystanders too The coaster went full speed into the other one

[@mothermovementa]

@Liam H Yh ppl fake bleeding to death all the time. And hanging in the air while medics try to stop blood loss. It was all just theatre. Happens all the time. Crazy

[@JaneDoe-rj4jn]

I’m from Ontario Canada and we have numerous large amusement parks. I always feel Leary as some of the ride operators look like part time summer job students. No experience and often no care with probably just basic training. This proves the seriousness of that position.

[@zachb1706]

Basic training is all you need. It’s not a hard job at all. Check restraints, press button, press e stop if any issues or complaints come through.

[@tinacrick5067]

Are people really accusing her of faking it and being an actress?! Leah hasn’t received any compensation from this accident, yet. Vicky and Joe have. Alton Towers has covered her prosthetics, physio etc etc but haven’t paid out or even decided on a settlement. When this happened it was all over the news for a few days. You can see the pictures of the carriages after the accident. In the days/weeks after it happening you could go and see the carriage, a friend sent me photos of it and you can clearly see all the blood and everything. There is so much evidence of this happening. The ride had SO MANY technical issues that day it never should have remained open. The empty carriage went out as a “test run” of the track but it didn’t complete the track. When they got on the second carriage they had to get off due to technical issues and then they got back on and the ride set off. The second carriage stalled at the top of the first drop due to another technical error but started again, they then saw the empty carriage on the track in front of them and then the impact happened. The controller of the ride had ignored and decided to override all the technical issues, the issue that the first carriage hadn’t completed the track and was still in the middle of the track. This was a massive mixture of human and system error. It is unrealistic to expect the ride never to open again but hopefully there was a lot of safety measures and checks done before it was opened again.

[@arthurkitchen9582]

I love listening to the accents

[@allymspx177]

I know people mypay find this weird but it wasnt the rides fault so theres no reason why it shluldnt be reopened. I was there on the day and the workers had sent out an empty car and sent out another full of people and didnt think to wait to see if thr other car came back and they said it needed repairing because it got stuck! They should have closed it! All rides break down but this was human error

[@ross1830]

AllyMsp X Yeah but the ride wasn't working properly anyway. it broke down multiple times before and pieces fell off before so they just closed it down.

[@agent_605]

You say that after it's reopened...

[@keepsmilinglittlemax1244]

True! Human error

[@mashupjoe4605]

villanelle outsold all rides when they first open show some degree of technical difficulties and snags, although I appreciate the smiler had quite a number of them. They were all dealt with and appropriately rectified. There was a very unique set of circumstances that caused the accident and following health and safety investigations it was concluded that human error caused this accident. Alton Towers took responsibility for the Health and Safety breaches involved in this crash. I’m glad Alton have admitted this but I’m also glad The Smiler is still open because there is nothing mechanically unsafe about this ride whatsoever. I hope Leah and the rest of the victims are doing well and whatever compensation they get from the accident they 100% deserve because no amount of money will ever account for any loss of limb or psychological trauma experienced.

[@PAJAMALAND]

@@keepsmilinglittlemax1244 ayy camp camp

[@joearnold8190]

I would close this ride down for ever

[@lightscamaraaction6392]

+William Tyndale she is not the smiler accident was real a cart was left on the tack it was a human error 2 or one person lost a leg it was all over the news a year ago when it happened

[@fifaclips2722]

It’s not the ride The ride is one of the most safest rides in the world This was a human error, the idiotic operator was not paying attention and sent her cart down even tho another cart was stuck Therefore her cart crashed It wasn’t the ride It was a human error

[@Th3Sm1ler]

The Smiler is the safest ride in the park and maybe the safest in the world

[@MrSupercar55]

@@fifaclips2722that’s right. Human error can make the safest things in the world unsafe. Classic example of to use the phrase “You had one job, mate!”

[@tillywoodley4820]

I feel sorry for her I wish it was me and not her

[@lightscamaraaction6392]

+William Tyndale u no none of this is fake right?

[@celesteconcannon4432]

William Tyndale the first comment you put is no most dicky post I've seen in a year

[@oneplusfourfourteen]

no in order t take the leg out you reach under the train and press a button down pull a lever then use a spanner and hit a metal cube the metal bars collapse or undo the back of the seat

[@faithsutcliffe2172]

Leah

[@KillJoy_Since2017]

Leah’s insta is @leahwashy

[@cameronwilson1775]

The girl looks like Kenzie off Waterloo road

[@lilywilson1750]

Her dad is friends with my dad when her dad was at work he had to go see her. He is the manager I think so my dad had to take his place for the week. (Sorry if it didn’t make sense aha)

[@Yasin_2312]

It didn’t make sense because you’re lying

[@brodypenn]

@@Yasin_2312 that was a fast conclusion

[@Dogzilla18]

i just want the smiler to re open! i never realised how much of a thrill seeker i was!

[@stephengold9230]

I still ain't had the pleasure off going on it

[@lucyhoney1]

Makes my feet feel funny omg I've been on a roller coaster 20 times in a row but I can say now I will never go on one ever again.

[@fazilasidat8352]

Was this the smiler?

[@TowersAltonPlanCo]

yea

[@iLoveCamdy]

Yep

[@iLoveCamdy]

@@theREALHeatherKasuga bruh

[@iLoveCamdy]

@@theREALHeatherKasugaIDC and I’m not exactly everywhere

[@theREALHeatherKasuga]

@@iLoveCamdy just wanted to say,it means your popular and that you can be seen often.

[@KillJoy_Since2017]

Aaaaawwwww

[@Briggsy435]

Don't they use the word the up north lol

[@MrSupercar55]

Something so heartwarming about the way she thanked the paramedics. ❤️🤍🚑