An Alton Towers victim who had her leg amputated has revealed that she has completed suicide prevention training five years after the incident.
Vicky Balch, who turns 25 this week, was severely injured when the the Smiler rollercoaster hit an empty carriage on the tracks in June 2015 in Staffordshire.
Marking five years since the incident on the 2nd June 2015, the brave woman revealed she had been battling depression, but is finally free of anti-depressants and pain medication.
The beautician, from Preston, Lancashire, who said in November that she had received a multi-million pound pay-out from Merlin Entertainment, took to Instagram to reveal that she had successfully completed suicide prevention training.
Sharing a picture of her certificate, she wrote: ‘I took 20 minutes out of my day to complete suicide prevention training.
‘I’m so glad I did this. After suffering from depression myself, this has always been something I want to be more involved with.
‘Suicide IS preventable! Don’t be afraid to talk.’
This week Vicky told the Mirror: ‘I no longer take the antidepressants or any pain medication. It feels good to be free of it.
‘The tablets helped me when I was in a dark place after my accident, but I feel I’ve moved on.’
She added: ‘ I still have my low moments, but I think that is always going to be the case. I’m not sure I’ll ever be completely over it, have complete closure. Maybe when I’m 60-odd!’.
Vicky plans to use part of the money from her payout to fund her nuptials in Italy with fiance Dino Manciocchi, 25, who laid rose petals and heart shaped balloons on the bed in a hotel room before proposing last year.
The compensation money is earmarked primarily for physio, treatments and prosthetic limbs for the rest of her life.
After Dino, who runs pizza oven company Valorioni, proposed in December last year, the bride was seen shopping for a wedding dress in June.
Last November Vicky was pictured with her new £60,000 prosthetic leg which she said will allow her to wear heels and paint her toenails again, as she entered Fairytale Brides in Whitefield, Manchester.
Vicky was one of 16 injured when the rollercoaster hit an empty carriage on the tracks in June 2015. Alton Towers, Staffordshire, which is owned by Merlin Entertainments, has been fined £5million.
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