A man who attempted to save a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing stated that “major errors” were committed on the night of the explosion.
Ron Blake is presenting his experience for the first time since the incident, just before the release of a comprehensive report on the bombing.
Despite “heroic” efforts to save John Atkinson during the suicide attack, he succumbed to his wounds.
Mr. Atkinson, age 28, was not seen by paramedics for 47 minutes, which, according to Mr. Blake, “seemed like an eternity.”
The Manchester Arena Inquiry heard that the Radcliffe care worker would have had a “very high” chance of survival if he had been treated sooner.
Twenty-two people were killed in an explosion after an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.
On Thursday, the second of three official reports will be issued. The investigation will determine whether two of the victims, including Mr. Atkinson, may have lived if the emergency services had responded more promptly.
Mr. Blake stated that he believed “huge errors were made that night” and that those in charge “got everything wrong.”
He contacted 999 less than a minute after the explosion and, despite being hurt and lacking first aid training, responded to Mr. Atkinson after noticing that he was losing a great deal of blood, despite being severely injured.
Mr. Blake used his wife’s belt as a tourniquet on Mr. Atkinson’s leg, having only seen it done on television, and did so for over an hour.
The probe has already uncovered several failures in the planning, preparedness, and response of emergency and security services to the attack, including:
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service crews arrived at the scene more than two hours later.
In the first forty minutes following the explosion, only one paramedic was present.
Greater Manchester Police and British Transport Police blundered during the night and in their preparations for a terrorist strike.
MI5 did not request police questioning of suicide bomber Salman Abedi after his return from Libya four days before the attack.
Mr. Blake stated that the apologies from the ambulance, fire, and police departments did not mean anything to him.
“It seemed to go on forever. It seemed to go forever, and no one arrived, so I kept attempting to communicate with John.
“He kept saying ‘I’m going to die, aren’t I?’ and I answered ‘no you are not.”
Mr. Atkinson was transported from the arena foyer to the casualty clearing station at the adjacent Manchester Victoria railway station using a metal barrier as an improvised stretcher.
Mr. Blake stated he left him in the care of a paramedic since he was “still talking” and therefore believed he would survive.
He expressed his shock upon learning that Mr. Atkinson had passed away while he was being treated for his injuries the following day.
He stated, “It was on the news in the waiting room.”
“I went outside… and just broke down.”
Mr. Atkinson’s family commended Mr. Blake’s “heroic” efforts to save him in the past.
He said: “I think I have done my best.
“I behaved like anyone else would have”
When he detonated his homemade explosive at the arena, Abedi also injured hundreds of others.
Hashem Abedi, his younger brother, was sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for his involvement in the bombing.
The public investigation into the attack concluded in March after 267 witnesses testified since September 2020.
In June 2021, the first of three reports authored by inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders was published.
It identified several failings, such as lost opportunities to prevent or mitigate the “devastating consequences” of the explosion, and criticized the British Transport Police (BTP), the stadium operators SMG, and their contracted security providers, Showsec.
It was also noted that arena security should have identified Salman Abedi as a threat.
Thursday will mark the release of the investigation’s findings regarding the emergency response.
In May, the Prince and Princess of Wales formally dedicated a memorial to the victims of the attack.
The Glade of Light is inscribed with the names of those killed in the assault.
