Alton Towers crash victims celebrate their Wedding Day
Leah Washington and Joe Pugh said 'I do' at an intimate wedding ceremony with their family and friends at the idyllic Woodlands Hotel in Leeds
by Chiara Fiorillo, Nicole Goodwin · ChronicleLiveA couple who had only been dating for a week when they were seriously injured in a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers have tied the knot this weekend.
Leah Washington and Joe Pugh said 'I do' at an intimate wedding ceremony with their family and friends at the idyllic Woodlands Hotel in Leeds. Exclusive photos from the day show the pair, who announced their engagement in March 2022, laughing and smiling with their loved ones.
Leah, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, wore a stunning white dress paired with a veil and elegant jewels, and was seen smiling at the camera while holding her bouquet of white roses. She tied her hair to the back and had ringlets to the front.
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Her now-husband Joe opted for a tuxedo and bow tie for the day. The couple enjoyed a drinks reception with family and friends as a pianist played live music to mark the occasion.
Leah and Joe got engaged during a romantic holiday in Italy two years ago. Following the happy news, Leah said she "drifted apart" from her now husband Joe at first as she struggled to cope with her life-changing injuries. The devastating accident left 26-year-old Leah without a leg while Joe suffered shattered kneecaps and two broken fingers. Leah described they had only been officially dating for a week when the crash happened and the difficulties their relationship faced as she was unable to care for herself, The Mirror reports.
"If you'd told either of us during the weeks that followed our horrific accident at Alton Towers that we'd be planning our wedding now, I don't think we'd have believed it," the influencer told OK! Magazine. The pair, aged just 17 and 18 at the time, were sitting at the front of their roller coaster carriage when it rammed into a stationary car at 50mph.
Recalling the accident as the "longest thirty minutes of my life", she said: "My legs were caught between the safety bar and the ride in front, terrified and in excruciating pain, I was quickly losing sensation in my left leg." Leah said she had asked Joe for his phone to ring her mum and he had replied he couldn't "because my finger is hanging off."
While Joe was placed in the adult trauma unit and had casts on both his legs and arms, his kneecaps recovered and he was keen to return to his social life, while Leah's "whole life was physio, hospital appointments and getting used to her prosthetic leg." He said: "We drifted furthest away from each other, Leah was upset one night because I went out with friends when we were meant to hang out together. I was still only 19 and didn't have the emotional maturity to understand how my actions were affecting her."
Joe, who never regained use of one finger, said he soon realised there was a "new normal" as they had to adapt to the injuries, public attention and court case. Posting a snap of herself alongside Joe after they got engaged, Leah beamed as she showed off her new engagement ring. "So this happened yesterday… I SAID YES," she revealed.
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