A teenager who had her leg amputated after a rollercoaster crash has recalled breaking down in tears when she saw her injury, and admitted her concerns about having to take a “different path” in life.

Leah Washington, who turned 18 last month, was one of five people seriously injured in the Smiler crash at Alton Towers in June.

She had been at the theme park with her boyfriend, University of Huddersfield student Joe Pugh, and was in the front of the carriage as it collided with another, leading to a rescue operation that would take four hours.

Miss Washington, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, said she begged the surgeon not to tell her she had lost a limb.

“It took me a long time to look at my injury. When I did, I burst into tears.”

She described seeing the other carriage in front and thinking the crash would be “like a bumper car ride”, but after the collision she saw that those around her were injured and realised the safety bar was digging into her left leg and saw flesh on the seat in front.

Looking to the future Miss Washington said she is apprehensive but is trying to get used to a different way of life.

She said she gets tired using crutches, but does not like being in a wheelchair as people often stare.

She said: “I’m nervous for the future. My life is on hold while my friends are moving forward, having their own cars and leaving home. I’ll have a different path and a different life.”

Leah also fractured the little finger on her left hand in the crash. And she could not use it because a nerve had been crushed. She reveals how her favourite hobby was jazz dancing, which she’d loved since the age of six. She was set to perform in her last show in July before heading to university.

But despite the devastating accident, Leah is bravely upbeat. She has ­a pair of sparkly blue crutches donated by ­Crystals and Crutches and talks ­excitedly about being on the guest list for an upcoming gig by her favourite band, One Direction. The boys sent her a video message as letters and gifts from well-wishers poured into the hospital.

“I want to say thank you to everyone,” says Leah, now planning a fundraising event for the medical team who saved her life. She was discharged from hospital on July 22 and turned 18 six days later.

“I didn’t want to be in hospital for my 18th,” she says.

“I had a good birthday at home but it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. I’ve missed out on so much.”

Leah Washington pictured on Facebook with friends and family days after having part of her left leg amputated

This summer, she should have been on holiday with pals in Magaluf before heading off to uni next month to study primary education. Now she says she even can’t make herself a drink and needs help with personal care, like taking a shower.

“I’m not independent any more and I hate it,” says Leah.

The teen said she does not feel anger towards the Staffordshire theme park, whose owner Merlin Entertainments has accepted responsibility for the crash, but added that she wants to know what went wrong so it does not happen again.

Joe, 18, suffered serious knee injuries in the crash but intends to resume his studies in the textile design department in Huddersfield next month.

Last month, he appeared on television to talk about his ordeal, saying he did not blame Alton Towers, but would never go on a rollercoaster again. Watch the interview here.