Alton Towers Smiler crash: Vicky Balch has leg amputated
26 June 2015
From the section Stoke & Staffordshire
A 20-year-old woman injured in the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash has had her leg amputated, her lawyers say.
Vicky Balch, from Lancashire, had her right leg amputated below the knee following seven rounds of surgery.
She was injured when the theme park’s Smiler ride crashed into an empty carriage in front of it on 2 June.
Days after the crash, it emerged that Leah Washington, 17, had to have a leg amputated. Other riders sustained serious leg injuries.
‘Painful fight’
Miss Balch’s lawyer Paul Paxton said: “Vicky has had a long and incredibly painful fight to retain her leg. Regrettably, her bravery has not been rewarded.
“The step was taken to remove the leg following seven bouts of surgery. Further surgery will be required in the immediate future, which may involve a more acute amputation.”
Miss Balch, from Leyland, was sitting in the front of the ride alongside Miss Washington, Joe Pugh and Daniel Thorpe, when it hit an empty carriage.
Daniel Thorpe, Vicky Balch, Joe Pugh and Leah Washington (left to right)
Miss Balch has spoken of her ordeal, saying she thought she was going to die.
“It felt like slow motion. We banged into the car in front. I felt the bars go into my knees; we moved backwards and the car went into us again,” she said.
“I passed out. I was awoken by Dan shouting my name. Everyone was screaming and I was in excruciating pain. I looked down and I could see blood all over. The bars were in my right knee…
“The only thought that was going through my …read more
Source:: BBC UK
