.Brave Leah Washington, 17, posed for first picture since leg amputation
.Teenager was seriously injured during horror crash on ride at Alton Towers
.Another young woman, Vicky Balch, 20, also lost leg during horrific smash
.Inspirational Miss Washington is pictured smiling surrounded by friends
A brave teenager who lost a leg following a horrific rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers has posed for her first picture since the amputation.
Inspirational Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, can be seen smiling alongside friends and family just weeks after her leg was amputated following the June 2 crash.
Miss Washington had her leg amputated above her left knee while another young woman who was also on the ride, Vicky Balch, 20, had her right leg amputated below the knee last weekend.
Leah Washington, 17, (pictured centre) from Barnsley in South Yorkshire, shared this picture of herself smiling alongside friends and family just weeks after her leg was amputated following the June 2 crash
Miss Washington was on a first date with new boyfriend Joe Pugh when their carriage - carrying 16 people - ploughed into the one in front.
Both Miss Balch and Miss Washington were riding in the front seats on board the Smiler ride at the Staffordshire theme park when it collided with another car which had been left on the track.
The new picture, which was posted on Facebook and already has 426 'likes', shows the 17-year-old is firmly on the road to recovery - and friends were quick to tell her how brave and inspirational she has been.
One wrote: 'What a wonderful picture <3 xxx' while another said 'What a great pic, all solid good friends together. Best wishes Leah x.'
Leah was with her boyfriend, Joe Pugh (right), on the Smiler ride when the horrific accident happened
Another said: 'Lovely pic... you're an amazing young lady Leah.'
Leah Washington, 17, (left) had her right leg amputated above the knee shortly after the crash. Vicky Balch, 20, (right) became the second passenger from the ride to lose a leg after the horrific crash at Alton Towers
Speaking at the time of the accident, Miss Balch said she felt the metal bars enter her leg after the collision before passing out, and waking up to see blood covering the carriage.
Both young women have described how they waited for more than four hours on the ride before they were freed.
Miss Washington's boyfriend Joe Pugh, 18, has previously described how he tried to comfort his girlfriend as she screamed in the seat next to him while her jeans were soaked in blood.
Last month Miss Washington's brother, Luke, described how machines were 'keeping her going' while she was in intensive care.
Leah, pictured with Towie star Joey Essex, has received huge support from friends online since the crash
Luke Washington said she was 'heavily sedated' when he visited her in hospital shortly after the crash.
He told the BBC: 'She was in intensive care so she had machines keeping her going. It was only the day after they took her off that and she was back to breathing on her own.
'She had a rapid recovery. Each day has gone by and she has improved and improved.'
Vicky Balch, 20 (right), who lost her leg in the Alton Towers crash, is pictured alongside Major Kate Philp, 35, who also had a limb amputated
Speaking about Leah's condition at the time, Mr Washington said: 'Compared to last week when I got to hospital and saw her for the first time, it's a world of difference.
'It's amazing to see her. It was yesterday I walked into the room for the first time that day and she was stood up. To see her from the condition she was in to now being stood up is great.'
He added: 'We've all been there for Leah but she's the one who's kept us going. She's just done amazing.
'I don't know where she's got this strength from but it's really opened our eyes.'
Following the accident her boyfriend Mr Pugh was treated for shattered kneecaps, while Daniel Thorpe, 27, a hotel manager from Buxton in Derbyshire was treated for a collapsed lung and fractured leg.
Chandaben Chauhan, 49, of Wednesbury, West Midlands, also suffered injuries.
Both of Mr Pugh's knees were smashed in the June 2 crash and he faces months of physiotherapy.
He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s amazing, but the accident really has brought the two of us even closer together.
‘We had mutual friends before, but in hospital her friends were coming to see me and mine would go and see her. It’s become an ever-wider and closer circle of friends.’
Meanwhile, earlier this week Miss Balch shared the first picture of herself since undergoing surgery to remove her leg.
She was pictured sitting alongside Major Kate Philp, an Afghanistan veteran who also had her leg amputated below the knee after being hit by a roadside bomb in 2008.
Posting the image on her Twitter page, Miss Balch wrote: 'Today I was inspired by a very amazing woman Major Kate Philp and I hope one day I can do the same for somebody else.'
The picture is believed to have been taken at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, where Vicky is said to be recovering.
Major Philp was the only woman to take part in the Walking With The Wounded trek to the South Pole alongside Prince Harry two years ago.
Miss Balch has previously told of how she waited four hours in agony for emergency services to rescue her from the ride, saying how she 'just wanted to die' during the ordeal. Above, the ride on the day of the
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