A teenage girl, whose left leg was amputated after the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash, was kept alive on a machine in intensive care when she was first brought to hospital, her brother has said.
Leah Washington, 17, is now standing up and making “a rapid recovery” despite undergoing surgery at the weekend to amputate her leg above the knee, her brother Luke told the BBC.
The teenager also fractured her hand on the Smiler ride and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Joe Pugh, was treated for two broken knees and extensive hand injuries, after the carriage they were riding in ploughed into another, which was empty.
Merlin Entertainments, which owns Alton Towers, is understood to be preparing substantial payouts for the 16 victims of last Tuesday’s crash and the victims’ lawyers are due to meet Merlin’s insurers this week after the theme park operator admitted “full responsibility”.
Speaking on BBC West Midlands, her brother said: “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. 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.”
Luke Washington said his sister had shown “amazing” strength. “We’ve all been there for Leah but she’s the one who’s kept us going. I don’t know where she’s got this strength from but it’s really opened our eyes,” he said.
The injured teenager, who is a fan of the boyband One Direction, is to receive a recorded video message and backstage concert tickets for the band’s next gig, after a Twitter campaign #Get1DToLeah.
Washington had bought tickets to the Capital FM Summertime Ball to see the band on 6 June, but was unable to attend because of her injuries. Her brother said the family had decorated her hospital bedroom with posters of the band.
My sister is an inspiration! retweet so the boys in @onedirection can be as amazed with her as I am! I love you Leah pic.twitter.com/S83x6bRWZL
— Luke Washington (@wawawawashy) June 8, 2015
Leah’s friend Sara Stuart wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that the band had been in touch and thanked fans for their help.
THANK YOU EVERYONE! THIS MEANS SO MUCH #Get1DToLeah @BBCNews @onedirection pic.twitter.com/gWJZMNqVJ8
— Sara Stuart (@sara_stuart08) June 9, 2015
One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson, who is also from South Yorkshire, tweeted Leah.
@leahwashy Thinking about you Leah & hoping you are home in South Yorkshire soon Xx
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) June 8, 2015
Two other people sustained serious injuries in the crash: Daniel Thorpe, a 27-year-old old assistant hotel manager from Buxton in Derbyshire, and Vicky Balch, 20, from Leyland in Lancashire.
Balch’s solicitor said she has suffered potentially life-changing injuries and is expected to make a “substantial claim for damages” to support her recovery.
The four are being treated at the Royal Stoke University hospital and the University hospital Coventry.
Merlin Entertainments sent hand-delivered letters to each of the 16 people travelling on the Smiler ride, accepting full responsibility for the accident and agreeing to deal “swiftly and sensitively” with their personal injury claims.
