The family of a care worker killed in the Manchester Arena terror have spoken out after a report found he could have survived.
Sir John Saunders' report into the 2017 terrorist atrocity, which was released today, found that 28-year-old John Atkinson from Radcliffe ‘would probably have survived’ if not for the failings of the emergency services.
Now, Mr Atkinson's family have paid tribute to him and said that the agencies criticised in the report must learn from their mistakes.
In a statement, they said: “John was our son, brother, uncle, and friend.
“Everyone who knew him loved being around him.
"He always put others first. As today’s report says, his working life was spent helping those in care and his kindness and generosity were evident for all to see.
“He lit up our lives, and there is less laughter in the world without him. Since his passing, our lives have been shattered. Today, the inquiry has answered our questions about John’s death.
“It is now clear beyond any doubt that on the night of the bombing John was totally failed at every stage, both by the private medical providers at the Arena, ETUK and the emergency services.
“It is crystal clear that due to those failings, John died from injuries that he could and should have survived.
“As the report says, timely medical treatment to stop or slow John’s catastrophic bleeding and get him to hospital would have saved him.”
Continuing their statement following the publication of the report, John Atkinson’s family said: “During this crucial time, Ronald Blake acted heroically to try to save John.
“We want to say thank you again to Ronald Blake for all he did that night.
“However, the medical tourniquets John needed were not made available and the paramedics who could have saved him should have been at the scene much sooner.
“As the report says, responsibility for these failures lies squarely with ETUK, SMG who commissioned ETUK to provide medical services at the Arena and North West Ambulance Service.
“Finally, had GMFRS arrived at the scene earlier, as they should have done, they could have used their stretchers to get John out of the City Room much sooner and with much less pain.
“Even after John was moved from the City room to the Casualty Clearing Station, further delays meant that he was not prioritised for evacuation to hospital.”
Concluding the statement, John Atkinson’s family said: “He was left, dying, without his dignity, on the floor when it should have been obvious to medics that he needed to get straight to hospital.
“As we know from witnesses, John kept asking if he was going to die.
"John must have known that he was dying and the pain that causes us is too great to put into words.
"This should simply never have been allowed to happen.
“The apology from North West Ambulance Service means nothing unless they act rapidly on this report to ensure that no family ever has to go through this horrific experience again.
ALSO READ: 'Big mistakes were made that night' survivor of arena bombing as report due out
“We welcome Sir John’s promise to monitor the implementation of his recommendations.
"Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words.
“We will be watching to see what happens now. We thank the chair for his meticulous and fearless report.
“John will always be in our thoughts and in our hearts. “
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here