This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-33075059

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Alton Towers amputee Leah Washington 'recovering well' Alton Towers amputee Leah Washington 'recovering well'
(35 minutes later)
A girl whose leg was amputated after a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers is recovering well and has stood up for the first time, her brother said.A girl whose leg was amputated after a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers is recovering well and has stood up for the first time, her brother said.
Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was one of five people who suffered severe injuries on the Smiler ride on 2 June.Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was one of five people who suffered severe injuries on the Smiler ride on 2 June.
Her brother Luke said she had initially been put in intensive care and relied on machines to help her breathe.Her brother Luke said she had initially been put in intensive care and relied on machines to help her breathe.
He said the effects of the crash had "not been easy on the family".He said the effects of the crash had "not been easy on the family".
'Dramatically improved''Dramatically improved'
Ms Washington's leg was amputated above the left knee and she also suffered a fractured left hand.Ms Washington's leg was amputated above the left knee and she also suffered a fractured left hand.
Her brother said her "health and spirits had improved dramatically".Her brother said her "health and spirits had improved dramatically".
"She was heavily sedated. She was in intensive care and the machines were keeping her going.""She was heavily sedated. She was in intensive care and the machines were keeping her going."
"Yesterday I walked into the room and she was standing up. It was great," Mr Washington told BBC WM "Yesterday I walked into the room and she was standing up. It was great," Mr Washington told BBC WM.
"Compared to last week, when she got to hospital for the first time, it's a world of difference. He said compared to last week, when she was taken to hospital for the first time, "it's a world of difference".
"Each day has gone by and she's improved and improved." "She was heavily sedated. She was in intensive care and the machines were keeping her going."
Ms Washington and three other people were on the front row of a carriage on the ride which hit an empty one, trapping 16 passengers for up to four-and-a-half hours.
All four on the front row suffered severe leg injuries.
Mr Washington said a day after the crash his sister was breathing on her own and had made a "rapid recovery.".
"Each day has gone by and she's improved and improved.
"I don't know where she's got her strength from," he said.
Crash investigation
Her boyfriend Joe Pugh is also at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and being treated for two broken knees and "extensive" hand injuries.
Vicky Balch, 20, from Leyland in Lancashire, has undergone surgery at the same hospital and is in a "serious but stable" condition, according to her family.
Daniel Thorpe, 27, from Buxton, Derbyshire, was treated at University Hospital Coventry for a collapsed lung and a fractured leg. His condition is described as "serious but stable".
Chanda Chauhan, 49, from Wednesbury in the Black Country, who was sitting in the second row of the Smiler, was admitted to Walsall Manor Hospital with internal injuries.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Alton Towers reopened to visitors on Monday, although the Smiler ride itself remains closed.
Merlin Entertainment, which owns the theme park, said it was the first accident in the company's history and said anyone injured would be compensated.