An outing to Alton Towers with her friend, Daniel Thorpe, on June 2nd, changed Vicky Balch's life forever, and while struggling to come to terms with the results of the injuries she sustained during the outing, the beautiful young woman has now been dealt another devastating blow.

Just three months on from the now infamous Smiler crash, Vicky has learned that bosses of the world-famous theme park have decided to reopen the ride on account of financial difficulties.

Vicky, whose right leg was amputated following the shocking incident at the beginning of the summer, has voiced her horror at the decision and admits she's hurt by the choice.

The 20-year-old student, who is slowly learning to walk again, recently met with Alton Tower bosses, Nick Varney and Ian Crabbe, and was informed of their decision to reopen the ride.

Opening up about the exchange, Vicky, who also learned the crash was as a result of 'human error' explained: "They said they are not making as much money as they used to. I feel upset and insulted."
 


Equally devastated by the park's decision, Vicky's mother, Karen recalled Mr. Varney's reasoning, saying: "Nick Varney said, ‘We’re losing millions of pounds and the park is a lot quieter. We want to reopen The Smiler as soon as possible, hopefully this year."

Distraught on behalf of her daughter, Karen admits she's struggling with the news, saying: "I was shocked, I just didn’t know what to say. This has ripped Vicky’s life apart. She should be able to live life to the full and she can’t."

Vicky, who attends physiotherapy four times a week has had to move into rented accommodation as her family home is no longer suitable for her changing needs, and admits the aftermath of the crash has been exceedingly difficult.

"​I’m very up and down at the moment. Talking about things I can’t do any more makes me really emotional," she explains.

Stunned by the development, Vicky continued: "​This has happened to me on their ride so why would they want to reopen it so quickly? It has changed my future. My independence has completely gone and I cry all the time.”

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Merlin Chief Executive, Nick Varney commented on the decision, saying: "I genuinely thought that the right thing to do was to meet each of them individually to explain our main findings and to answer their questions directly."
 


Addressing the claim that he had referred to finances during his exchanges, Mr. Varney said: "I was very open and made no complaint about the impact on our business as the crash was our ­responsibility."

"​I also said that we expected our business would take a long period of time to return to previous levels and we understood and accepted this," he continued.

Commenting on the nature of the exchanges which took place with victims of the shocking incident, Mr. Varney said: "I am deeply sorry if anything we discussed caused distress or offence."

It has been established that Vicky was awarded interim compensation by Alton Towers and is due to receive substantial payment in the future.

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