Alton Towers rollercoaster crash: Teen on first date with new girlfriend 'broke both legs' in accident

Friends of student and barman Joe Pugh, 18, revealed the extent of his injuries while sat alongside Leah Washington, 17, in the horrific 50mph collision

Seriously hurt: Joe and Leah

Two teenagers seriously hurt in the Alton Towers roller coaster crash were on their first proper date.
Joe Pugh, 18, is thought to have broken both legs while Leah Washington, 17, suffered horrific injuries.
A total of 16 were hurt in the calamity on the £18million Smiler ride at the famous Staffordshire theme park on Tuesday.
Friends told today how the “loved-up” pair had been going out for just four days – and Joe couldn’t wait to take Leah to the park.
As more details of Alton Towers worst-ever accident emerged, Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, which owns the attraction, reportedly told Channel Four News he would not rule out human error as a cause of the tragedy.
Asked if he would be happy to ride The Smiler, he replied: “Of course I would.”
Joe and Leah were sitting at the front of their roller coaster carriage when it rammed into a stationary car at 50mph.

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Victims: Leah and Joe were excited by the trip

Next to them were a couple, aged 19 and 27, who also suffered serious leg injuries.



Witnesses below the 14-loop Smiler reported people’s faces had been “smashed in” and that “blood was everywhere”.
It took hours to free victims with the other 12 in the carriage described as “walking wounded.”
Although no medical details have been released, West Midlands Ambulance Service said today three of the four had “life-changing” injuries.
Joe, 18, is a student at Huddersfield University and also works at Oaks Working Men’s Club in Barnsley, South Yorks.
Horrified colleagues spotted the popular barman being stretchered from the carriage in TV footage.
Alice Holmes, 18, recognised Joe’s distinctive blue jacket.
She said: “Joe had been a few times before and had even been on that ride.
“He texted me at 1:34pm joking that there were lots of attractive guys that I would be interested at Alton Towers.
“That would have been about 40 minutes before the crash. I didn’t hear about it till later and my first thought was ‘Joe was at Alton Towers’.
“I checked the news and straight away I saw the blue jacket. I was devastated.
“I can’t even watch the footage on the news because it is too upsetting.”