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A Decade After Smiler Crash, Survivor Becomes Patient Ambassador at New NHS Rehab Centre

The £105 million, 70-bed National Rehabilitation Centre is due to open this year to deliver intensive early rehabilitation with peer mentors.

Overview

  • Leah Washington-Pugh, who lost a leg in 2015, says she sometimes longs for a “normal life” yet feels fortunate and will support amputees at the centre.
  • The facility at Stanford Hall Estate near East Leake is designed to help people recover from serious injuries and illnesses using new technology.
  • Fellow ambassador Luke Pickering was paralysed by Guillain-Barré in 2023, spent 94 days in hospital, now walks again, and credits early physiotherapy.
  • The Smiler collision injured 16 people, including two who required leg amputations, after human error and inadequate training led to a moving train hitting a stationary one.
  • Operator Merlin paid compensation and was fined £5 million, and the incident prompted the passage of 'Stuart’s Law' to strengthen support for theme-park accident victims.