A couple who were victims of a horrific crash at Alton Towers years ago have said that paramedics who treated them ignored warnings not to go and help them as 'it wasn't safe'.
Leah Washington and Joe Pugh were seriously injured on The Smiler ride at Alton Towers in 2015 when they crashed into a stationary cart in front of them at 50mph.
People on board the ride were seriously injured, with Leah being one of two people on board The Smiler who had to have a leg amputated.
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Joe's kneecaps were shattered in the crash, and they had to wait for four hours on the ride before they could be removed from it.
During a recent appearance on the Tom's Talks Podcast, the couple described how rescue efforts had to 'build scaffolding' to reach them, and that the cart they were in was tilted at an angle.
"I don't think they realised the extent of the injuries," Joe said, adding that he thought the minds of their rescuers changed to 'f**k, we actually need to get cracking now' after they could actually reach the injured.
Leah added that the air ambulance crews were told not to go in and get them 'for health and safety reasons', but the paramedics thankfully ignored that instruction so they could help.
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She said: "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'."
Leah said that the paramedics approach was 'if we don't go and help them now they're not going to survive'.
"But they ignored whoever told them to do that and did save his life."
The couple said they were still in touch with some of their rescuers on social media.
Earlier this year the couple celebrated tying the knot at a ceremony in Leeds, having become engaged back in 2022.
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There were a few hiccups along the way, especially when Leah's flight home from her hen party in Portugal got cancelled at short notice, but they managed to make it.
Leah and Joe have also said that if it wasn't for the crash they might not still be together, especially as they were both about to start university in different cities.
"We've said numerous times if that had not happened, we might not have been together now," Joe said in an interview on This Morning, as Leah added 'I don't know if it would have stuck, or lasted'.
Fortunately, they seem to be very happy together.
Joe Harker