'I'M ALWAYS ACHING! Alton Towers amputee is still waiting for compensation

Alton Towers amputee is still waiting for compensation



The teenage girl left with life-changing injuries after the horror crash at Alton Towers has revealed she is still waiting for compensation two years on.

Leah Washington, 19, from Barnsley, was one of two young passengers who lost a leg after their rollercoaster carriage smashed into a stationary train at the Staffordshire theme park on 2 June 2015.

She was on a date with her boyfriend of just six weeks, 18-year-old Joe Pugh, who suffered devastating injuries himself including two shattered kneecaps.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Leah, who is facing another round of surgery in September to remove a neuroma in her knee, says she is adjusting to her life as an amputee and trying to decide what to do with her future.



Living at home with her parents, who have moved into a rented bungalow so that she does not have to navigate stairs, Leah has had to accept that her disability means her dreams of becoming a teacher may be over.

Despite having a state-of-the-art £60,000 prosthetic leg which allows her to walk unaided, the teenager still suffers crippling pain and fatigue after standing for long periods - making her teaching assistant apprenticeship difficult.

Leah's prosthetic leg will need replacing every few years and combined with loss of earnings being taken into account, experts have predicted Leah's compensation payout could run into 'the millions'.



'I'm on my feet a lot, bending down,' Leah told Femail. 'I didn’t think it would be as hard as it is.

'I come home from work and all I want to do is get in bed. I’m always aching. It’s not really a life, but it's something I'll have to live with.'

She is now looking at other, 'less demanding' career options.



An investigation into the 2015 accident concluded that the crash was due to human error; an engineer had wrongly restarted the ride while a stationary carriage was on the track in front of it.

Alton Towers owner Merlin Attractions were fined £5million for health and safety breaches blasted by Judge Michael Chambers QC as a 'catastrophic failure'.

They were fined an initial £5million, and interim payments have covered Leah and Joe's medical and physio bills to date - but the pair have also submitted a 'substantial' compensation claim.

Leah's £60,000 prosthetic leg - which contains a microprocessor knee - will need replacing every few years, which will amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds over her lifetime.



Loss of earnings also being taken into account, with experts saying the teen can expect a payout 'running into the millions' - but Leah insists she has no idea what the true figure will be.

Leah, then 17, had just finished school and passed her driving test on the day of the crash, and has a 'hazy' memory of the hours following her accident - but remembers waking up from an induced coma the following day to be told that her left leg had been amputated below the knee.

'I just cried and told [the doctor] to stop talking to me,' she recalled.

Meanwhile her boyfriend, who will graduate from university next month, suffered two shattered kneecaps and a compound fracture on his hand, with his little finger 'snapped off'.



Paramedics have since revealed Leah came close to death twice as a result of her horrific injuries.

Leah and Joe, who remain a couple, are now waiting to hear what the life-changing amount will be.

'They said it would take up to three years, so we’re still waiting to hear,' she said. 'There are lots of meetings and specialists you have to see. I still don’t really understand.'

Leah, who admits her accident has put 'a lot of stress' on her family, added that whatever the sum is, 'It’s not going to bring back my leg, it’s not going to bring back the life I had before.

'I still don’t think I’ve fully come to terms with everything that's happened.'

A spokesperson for Alton Towers told MailOnline: 'From the outset we have sought to provide assistance and support to those that were injured and their families.

'Those individuals who have not yet settled their claims have received significant interim payments. Furthermore the company has regular direct contact with those seriously injured and continues to provide help and support wherever we can.'