Two Alton Towers victims present cheque to hospital staff

Two teenagers seriously injured in the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash have returned to a hospital to present medical staff with a cheque.

Leah Washington, 18, who had a leg amputated above the knee, raised £6,000 for the Royal Stoke University Hospital with help from boyfriend Joe Pugh, 18, and their family and friends.

The money will be shared between three wards which treated their injuries.

Human error caused the crash in June, the Staffordshire theme park has said.

No technical or mechanical issues were found with the Smiler ride itself.

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Ms Washington, from Barnsley, said everybody at the hospital looked after her "really well," adding she wanted to "recognise what they did".

A charity ball was held and friends did sponsored sports events.

Mr Pugh, who had his knees shattered in the crash, said: "You couldn't ask for better treatment than what they gave us.

"They ended up being like an extended family because you were in for that long."

Leah Washington raised £6,000 for the hospital with help from boyfriend Joe Pugh and their family and friends

Asked about the couple's relationship in recent months, he said: "It has made us stronger.

"If we're having down days or whatever, we've got each other... we both know what we've gone through."

The couple were among five people seriously injured in the collision, which led to 16 people on the ride being trapped for up to four-and-half hours.

Staff misunderstood a shutdown message and wrongly restarted the ride, an investigation by the park confirmed.

Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, has previously said all 16 people trapped would receive compensation.