A couple who were severely injured in the Alton Towers crash of 2015 have marked a decade since the accident with a glitzy charity event.
Leah Washington was just 17 when she lost her leg in the horror accident on the Smiler rollercoaster, while her now-husband Joe Pugh, with whom she was on a date, shattered both his kneecaps when their carriage rammed into the one in front at the Staffordshire theme park.
Now married, the couple marked a decade since the day their lives changed forever with a gala at the Barnsley Metrodome, raising funds for The Yorkshire and Midlands Air Ambulance and LimBo Foundation, which supported them after the accident.
The glittering event took place on Saturday and featured performances by musicians Georgie Harrison and Girls That Mix, while guests were entertained by Paul from the Chuckle Brothers.
Leah, who lost her leg during the crash on the Smiler rollercoaster, looked stunning in a sequined ball gown, joined by Joe in a smart suit.
During the event, she gave a speech, while she and Joe were reportedly seen in tears during a video tribute.
In an Instagram post shared last week, Leah wrote that the charity ball was 'not just a celebration of how far we've come but also a chance to give back and raise money for some truly deserving charities'.
She described the life-changing accident as a day she would 'never forget', having nearly bled to death with her legs crushed, resulting in the loss of her left leg.
Her post included a vulnerable photograph of herself in hospital taken shortly after her leg was amputated after being rescued from the crash.
This poignant photo was juxtaposed with a recent snap of Leah standing tall in a sparkly champagne-coloured gown, appearing confident and thriving.
Leah, now 27, wrote in the lengthy caption: '10 Years. 2/6/2015 - A day I'll never forget.'
'Ten years ago, my life changed forever in ways I could never have imagined. It feels like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday since the smiler crash accident.
'If I could go back and speak to the 17-year-old me in the hospital bed, I would tell her you're going to be ok. You'll find the confidence you thought lost, and grow into a strong, resilient woman who embraces life even with the challenges it throws your way.'
She added that during this time, there had been 'moments when it would've been easy to hide away, to let life pass by'.
But, she added, love and support from her family, friends, and rehab team helped her find her purpose again. 'Slowly but surely, I rebuilt my life and I'm proud of where I am today,' she said.
The couple have yet to announce how much money was raised during the charity ball, but one Instagram Story by an attendee suggested they had raised £25,000.
Joe was also left with horrific injuries after the crash, with both his kneecaps shattered and several fingers severed.
Earlier this month, the couple, who recently married, opened up about the accident, which resulted in at least 16 people being injured and five of them seriously hurt.
Leah, and Vicky Balch from Leyland, Lancashire, were both forced to undergo leg amputations as a result of the horror crash.
The couple said the charity ball was 'not just a celebration of how far we've come but also a chance to give back and raise money for some truly deserving charities'
Leah wrote in her Instagram post: 'Ten years ago, my life changed forever in ways I could never have imagined'
The event was attended by charity workers, celebrities and members of the public, including Paul Elliott of the Chuckle Brothers, who attended with his wife
Leah's now husband Joe, as well as Daniel Thorpe, from Buxton, Derbyshire, also suffered serious leg injuries along with 49-year-old Chandaben Chauhan.
The trapped ride-goers had to wait more than four hours to be freed from the crumpled carriage while rescue workers battled to reach them as they sat 25ft up in the air at an angle of about 45 degrees, pinned in by the mangled metal.
Speaking through Stewarts Solicitors, their legal representatives, Leah and Joe recalled the day they went on their very first date to Alton Towers on June 2, 2015.
The couple queued up to go on a rollercoaster ride and were delayed by technical difficulties, but were eventually able to board their carriage.
Leah said: 'I never thought anything of it.'
Their ride began, but disaster struck when the couple’s carriage turned a corner and an empty carriage came to a stop on the track in front of them, causing the crash.
Joe said: 'I think if I remember rightly if you compare it to a car accident it was the equivalent of driving into a car at 90 miles an hour, it was pretty severe.'
Recalling the moments immediately after the crash, Leah said she 'realised something wasn't right' when she looked down at her legs.
Joe also sustained serious injuries during the accident, having shattered both his kneecaps and losing several fingers
Despite the ordeal, the couple have remained together ever since the fateful day and recently tied the knot
The charity ball was held at Barnsley Metrodome to raise funds for The Yorkshire and Midlands Air Ambulance and LimBo Foundation
The couple hosted the event and gave speeches, and were reportedly seen in tears during a video tribute
Joe and Leah revealed new details about the crash in last year in an interview on the Tom Talks podcast, including that the paramedics were told 'not to save them because it wasn't safe'
The glittering evening took place on Saturday and featured performances by musicians Georgie Harrison and Girls That Mix, while guests were entertained by Paul from the Chuckle Brothers
Afterwards, she looked at Joe next to her and saw that his 'little finger was hanging off'.
The couple and other people on the ride were stranded for four hours as emergency workers raced to get to them, which proved difficult due to the position on the rollercoaster that they were in.
Leah credits the Air Ambulance for saving her life that day. She said: 'The air ambulance was flying in blood for me because I was just losing that much.
'If it wasn't for the air ambulance and other services on the day I know I wouldn't be here today.'
Last year, the couple appeared on the Tom Talks podcast with mindset coach Tom Dickinson and revealed that the paramedics were told 'not to save them because it wasn't safe'.
'They actually got told not to save us, for health and safety reasons, the air ambulance got told ''it's not safe, you can't go up there and treat them''.
'But they ignored whoever told them to do that and they did save our lives. They basically said, 'if we don't go help them now, they are not going to survive'.'
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.
Leah and Joe celebrated their first wedding anniversary last month and are now "really happy" 10 years after the ordeal
Leah also shared a more recent photo of herself looking confident and thriving, and wrote that she has 'lowly but surely... rebuilt my life and I'm proud of where I am today'
Alton Towers owner Merlin Attractions were fined £5million, and interim payments covered Leah and Joe's medical and physio bills while a compensation claim was agreed.
But despite the sheer trauma they went through, Leah and Joe have stayed a couple ever since that fateful day and got married last year.
They tied the knot in a dazzling ceremony at a country house hotel in Yorkshire on May 25, 2024, two years after Joe popped the question during a romantic holiday in Italy.
Joe also said that, after she was discharged from hospital all those years ago, the pair not only had to learn 'how to walk again and live again but how to build a relationship again with each other'.
However, they had each other for support throughout their individual recoveries.
'Yes, our injuries were there and everything else around us was going off but we still had that relationship and friendship and that got us through everything,' he continued.
'Fast forward 10 years we're both really happy. We're now married; we're almost a year into marriage; we've got a beautiful home together we couldn't be happier.'