Happily ever after for Alton Towers couple

A COUPLE who were severely injured in an Alton Towers rollercoaster crash on their first date tied the knot this weekend.

- Helen Barnett

Leah Washington and Joe Pugh were just 17 and 18 when The Smiler car they were in smashed into another at a force equal to a family vehicle crashing at 90mph.

Leah, now 26, was forced to have a leg amputated while both of Joe's kneecaps were smashed.

After the accident nine years ago, they drifted apart before rekindling their relationship and getting engaged in Italy in 2022.

Joe, now 27, secretly asked Leah's father for permission before proposing in a quiet street in Venice.

Two days ago, surrounded by groomsmen in tuxedos and bridesmaids in black gowns, the couple said "I do" at the Woodlands Hotel in Gildersome, near Leeds.

Leah wore a white dress with a pearl-beaded bodice and full tulle skirt, accessorised with Chanel droppearl earrings.

Joe was in a black tuxedo and waistcoat with white flower buttonhole.