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A couple who suffered life-changing injuries in a crash on the Smiler rollercoaster a decade ago have said they "couldn't be happier". Leah Washington-Pugh, then 17, and Joe

Pugh, then 18, were enjoying a ride on the Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers when their carriage rammed into another. Leah suffered life-changing injuries, and her left leg was amputated.

Joe suffered shattered kneecaps and some of his fingers were severed. Vicky Balch, from Lancashire, also needed a partial leg amputation after the crash. Now, speaking to the BBC, the pair

have spoken about their life since the crash. Thinking back on the crash, Leah said the pair had been delayed from getting on the ride due to previous technical difficulties, but did not

think much of it at the time. However, once they got on, the rollercoaster sped round a corner before crashing into an empty cart. Leah said: "And then I looked down at my legs and

realised that something wasn't right," said Leah. "I looked at Joe and Joe's little finger was hanging off," she added. The couple were stranded on the ride of

around four hours before they were rescued by emergency workers, and Leah says she "wouldn't be here today" without them. Leah then spent five days in intensive care and was

in hospital for eight weeks before she could be discharged. She then faced having to learn to walk and live a normal life again. In addition, Joe added that the couple had to rebuild their

relationship with each other. Joe and Leah supported each other throughout their recovery. "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." "Fast forward 10 years we're both really happy," continued Joe. "We're now married,

we're almost a year into our marriage, we've got a beautiful home together - we couldn't be happier." Operators Merlin were fined £5 million after the crash, with

compensation paid to the 16 victims. Judge Michael Chambers QC said the crash was foreseeable when he imposed the fine, but said the company had taken steps to fix the problems which led to

it. Leah added: "You've always got to find the positive in the negative and just got to grab life, because it's so precious, and make the most of it". _GET ALL THE LATEST

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