One of the victims of the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash who is facing the possibility of having her leg amputated said she "just wanted to die" as she waited hours to be rescued from the ride.
Vicky Balch, 20, from Lancashire, is among five people who were seriously injured when the Smiler ride collided with an empty carriage on June 2.
Her lawyer Paul Paxton said she is "battling" to save her leg following the crash, which led to fellow victim Leah Washington, 17, having her leg amputated above the knee.
Battle: Vicky Balch could still lose her leg
Miss Balch spent her 20th birthday in hospital following the crash after both her legs were crushed.
Miss Balch was sitting in the front seats alongside Miss Washington, Miss Washington's boyfriend Joe Pugh, 18, who shattered his knee, and Daniel Thorpe, 27, a hotel assistant-manager from Buxton in Derbyshire who was treated for a collapsed lung and fractured leg.
Chandaben Chauhan, 49, of Wednesbury, West Midlands, also suffered injuries.
Speaking for the first time about the crash and the four-and-a-half-hour wait for rescue, Miss Balch told the BBC: "It felt like slow motion. We banged into the car in front. I felt the bars go into my knees; we moved backwards and the car went into us again.
"I passed out. I was awoken by Dan shouting my name. Everyone was screaming and I was in excruciating pain. I looked down and I could see blood all over.
"The bars were in my right knee.
"The only thought that was going through my mind for the hours and hours that we were stuck was that we were going to die. If I was going to survive I would never walk again, that was certain.
"I thought it was never going to end. I just wanted to die."
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Mr Paxton, head of the personal injury department at Stewarts Law, also revealed how Miss Washington's father discovered his daughter was involved in the crash after recognising her from television coverage of the aftermath.
"Certainly Leah's father was aware for many an hour that his daughter was on the ride," he told the BBC. "The only comfort, if that's the right way to put it, was that it wasn't clear early on the full extent of the injuries."
Speaking earlier this month, Mr Paxton said that the family expects a criminal prosecution to be seriously considered and will be seeking compensation, which could run into the millions.
He said: "Whilst it is anticipated that there will be a substantial claim for damages to support Victoria in her recovery, the main focus at present for the family is Victoria's well-being and ensuring that the investigation into the accident is carried out swiftly and vigorously."
17-year-old Leah Washington had to have her leg amputated above the knee following the crash
Alton Towers said it is in contact with the victims of the crash and their families and will provide "full support" to those involved.
Merlin Entertainments, which owns Alton Towers said management accepts full responsibility and that compensation will be provided.
A spokeswoman for the company said: "Irrespective of the outcome of the current investigations into the causes of the accident, in these letters we have accepted full responsibility to those who had been injured in the accident and confirmed that we will ensure that compensation will be provided to them.
"We have recommended each of the injured guests or their families instruct a lawyer and submit a claim for compensation which we will ensure is dealt with swiftly and sensitively."
Passengers were trapped at a sharp angle while waiting to be rescued
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