'I lost my leg in a rollercoaster accident on a date at Alton Towers - now we're marrying'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The young couple who suffered life-changing injuries in a horror crash on The Smiler at Alton Towers are about to marry seven years on. Leah Washington, 24, and Joe Pugh, 25, had only been dating for one week when they visited the theme park in their teens in 2015.

They were sitting side-by-side together on the rollercoaster when the horrific accident occurred - resulting in Leah having to have her left leg amputated. The couple drifted apart in the difficult months that followed, but are now happily engaged after overcoming obstacles in their relationship.

Joe popped the question whilst they were on holiday in Venice, leaving Leah in tears of joy. "When I proposed to Leah I didn’t actually say the words, ‘Will you marry me?’” Joe said in an interview with OK!. “I just got down on one knee in a quiet Venice side street, showed her the ring and then found myself suddenly speechless.”

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Lead said: "We were in the middle of shooting photos for my influencer work and I immediately burst into tears – and then couldn’t stop crying. I was in shock as I’d only ever made passing comments about marriage.

"After everything we’ve been through, we’ve had to do a lot of growing up quickly, so I didn’t want to rush this. His proposal was a beautiful surprise to me – but he’d secretly asked my dad for his permission.”

She added: "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. I wish I could go back in time and say, ‘Everything will work out. This traumatic event won’t stop you from doing