How bad was The Smiler crash?

On June 2 2015, two carriages collided on “The Smiler” roller coaster at Alton Towers, in Staffordshire, U.K. Two women involved needed leg amputations, while a total of 16 people had some form of injury in the crash. Since the incident, “The Smiler” has remained closed to the public.



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Leah Washington and Joe Pugh were both teenagers riding the Smiler when it crashed in 2015. Leah's leg was later amputated and Joe had shattered knees. Leah showed off her engagement ring in a photo from Venice on her Instagram page.

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All children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult of 18 years and above. Children under 3 years old can visit the park for free. The following height and age restrictions apply: Guests must be 1.4m or over to ride Nemesis, Galatica, The Smiler, Oblivion and Rita (Rita has a maximum height of 1.95m).

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All children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult of 18 years and above. Children under 3 years old can visit the park for free. The following height and age restrictions apply: Guests must be 1.4m or over to ride Nemesis, Galatica, The Smiler, Oblivion and Rita (Rita has a maximum height of 1.95m).

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Two women who lost legs after a crash on a ride at Alton Towers are suing the park's owners, their lawyers have said. Vicky Balch, 23, and Leah Washington, 20, were in the front seats of the Smiler ride which rammed into a stationary carriage in June 2015.

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Following the accident, merchandise and references to the Smiler were removed from the park. The coaster was closed for the rest of the year. The fate of the ride was unknown until 24 November 2015, when Alton Towers announced that the accident was caused by human error and the ride would reopen in 2016.

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A woman who lost her leg in a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers has received a multi-million pound payout. Vicky Balch says she has endured a wretched four years after losing her leg when The Smiler ride at Alton Towers was involved in a smash.

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Attorney Michael Haggard represented the family of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who died in March of 2022 after slipping out of his safety bar and falling from another Florida amusement park ride. Haggard said Bonnet nearly suffered the same, horrible death.

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Vicky Balch and Leah Washington, who each lost a leg in the crash, were in court for the start of the two-day court hearing, along with Joe Pugh, Daniel Thorpe and Chandaben Chauhan, who were also seriously hurt.

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