Manchester Arena Inquiry: Equestrian coach used handbag strap to save sister's life

Survivor thought she'd be back on horse in three months – but she's never ridden since

Janet Senior gives evidence. Manchester Arena Inquiry

An equestrian coach told an inquiry of how she used a handbag strap to save her sister's life when they both received lifechanging injuries in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack.

Janet Senior and Josephine Howarth were at the Ariana Grande concert collecting their nieces when terrorist Salman Abedi denoated a bomb killing 22 people and injuring hundreds of others.

The sisters were hit by shrapnel, including a large bolt that lodged in Josephine's leg causing her to lose a significant amount of blood.

They recalled from first aid training how applying a tourniquet to a wound would stop the flow of blood.

"Josie had been hit and there was a lot of blood loss," Ms Senior said.

"I just looked around and thought we need help, everybody needs help. My sister had been hit in the thigh and the speed of her blood loss was rapid.

"I tried to put my hand on for pressure but I couldn't. She had a handbag with a long strap and she told me to get it and to put it around her leg. She kept going in and out of consciousness. I was really concerned that people were dying, the sounds were getting less and less."

She told the inquiry she was struck in the chest and neck and thought at one point they were both going to die. 
Ms Senior then spoke of the initial expectations of her recovery process.

"I thought I would be back on a horse in three months," she said.

"I just cannot believe I'm not there. After four years, I'm not getting any better. I'm finding it hard to realise this is what I have to go forward with."

Her sister recalled seeing "rolling orange flames" after the explosion and realised she had a wound to her leg.

"It was a very heavy blow," Ms Howarth said.

"I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse. I lost a great deal of blood. I later found out a 29 millimetre x 19 millimetre bolt had entered my leg. I had a bag with a strap, which was long enough to go around my leg and put pressure on my main artery."

The sisters told the inquiry the attack was lifechanging.

"Anyone injured on that night will never recover," Ms Howarth said. "We just learn how to live with it on a daily basis."

The Manchester Arena Inquiry is examining the circumstances of the attack, which took place on May 22, 2017, and whether any opportunities to prevent it were missed.

It was established by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in October.

Suicide bomber Abedi, 22, died after detonating the rucksack bomb in a foyer of the arena at the end of the concert.

His younger brother, Hashem Abedi, was convicted last year on 22 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to cause an explosion.

He was sentenced to jail for a minimum of 55 years.