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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Barney Davis

Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster crash couple get engaged seven years after horror collision

Victims: Leah Washington and boyfriend Joe Pugh, who were both in the crash, arrive at court today

(Picture: PA)

A couple who had only been dating for a month when they were injured on Alton Towers smiler have announced their engagement.

Joe Pugh and Leah Washington revealed their plans to wed after Joe popped the question on a romantic getaway in Venice.

On Wednesday Washington posted pictures on Instagram showing off her engagement ring. She wrote: “So this happened yesterday … I SAID YES.”

Pugh added: “Venice 2022, the best city break so far, made even better by getting a yes from Leah.”

Mr Pugh was also on the Smiler rollercoaster when it crashed into an empty carriage at 90mph in the horror incident in June 2015.

The teenager and her boyfriend were in the front of the carriage when it collided with another, leading to a rescue operation that would take several hours.

Washington, who was 17 at the time of the crash which injured 16 people, had to have her leg amputated above the knee, and Pugh, then 18, also sustained serious injuries, including two shattered kneecaps.

In 2015 the theme park’s operator Merlin Attractions was fined £5 million for a “catastrophic failure” of health and safety rules over after the Smiler rollercoaster collision.

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