Latest news with #DanBiddle
Wales Online
18 hours ago
- Wales Online
He was face to face with a 7/7 bomber and was horrifically injured, now he's 'haunted by him'
He was face to face with a 7/7 bomber and was horrifically injured, now he's 'haunted by him' Dan Biddle, who lives in Wales, was the most-injured survivor of the 7/7 suicide bombings on London's transport network, losing an eye and both legs in the horrific attack - now he wants an inquiry into what happened on that terrible day Dan was given just a 2% chance of survival (Image: Humphrey Nemar ) It's been nearly two decades since Dan Biddle was rescued, severely injured and traumatised, from the Edgware Road Tube Station in London – having lost an eye, both legs, and with his mental health irreparably damaged. With only a 2% chance of survival, Dan emerged as a beacon of resilience – becoming the most severely wounded survivor of the 7/7 attacks. Almost 20 years after the harrowing events of July 7, 2005, his struggle persists. He grapples daily with Complex PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, and survivor's guilt, tormented by visions of the bomber's face. Now, Dan is advocating for the government to acknowledge the victims properly as the 20th anniversary approaches next month – by initiating a comprehensive public inquiry. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here "Some 52 people lost their lives, why doesn't that warrant one?" he questions. "I knew that getting blown up, life was going to be tough but I didn't think it would be unjust." The attacks left more than 770 people injured when four jihadists detonated explosives on three underground trains and a bus. Dan relives the nightmare every night, reports the Mirror. Article continues below "I have been exhausted for 20 years because I dread going to sleep," he admits. "The minute I go to sleep, I'm on the floor in the tunnel." At 26 years old and standing at 6ft 4in, Dan's former life was shattered while he was en route to a construction job. He found himself perilously close to bomber, Mohammad Sidique Khan, who was seated holding a rucksack. Dan, who lives in Abergavenny with wife Gem, vividly recalls the harrowing encounter: "I was about six inches from touching him," he said. "He was staring at me, and I thought it was a bit odd. I noticed him lean forward and look along the carriage. And then he sat back and was staring at me again. "I was about to ask him what he was looking at. And then I see him put his hand into the bag. There was a white flash. It was just incredibly, incredibly bright, the feeling of a huge amount of heat. I was blown through the carriage doors." Dan lives in Abergavenny with his wife, Gem (Image: Humphrey Nemar ) Dan was hurled against the tunnel wall and came to rest between the wall and the train tracks. "Both my arms and hands were on fire, then I did the one thing that I wish I hadn't done. I started to look around. That's when I saw the first dead body. A young lady, catastrophic injuries. "And then wherever I looked after that, the next one I saw was 10 times worse. There was no escape from the horror around me. I heard people screaming, and then the screams stopped, and I knew why. "Those screams don't ever leave you, and the the smells never go away. It's a mixture of molten plastic, burnt meat, blood." In the midst of chaos, an ex-Army medic discovered Dan and courageously traversed the tracks to assist. He managed to clamp Dan's femoral artery moments before he would have succumbed to blood loss. Dan's heart ceased to beat three times while in hospital. The final instance saw the surgeon manually coaxing his heart back to life for almost 15 minutes. Dan regained consciousness eight weeks following the ordeal. He was the most injured survivor (Image: Humphrey Nemar ) "I've got an artificial left eye. My left eardrum was completely blown out," he says. "My right eardrum was perforated, my spleen burst, both my lungs were punctured, my kidney was punctured, my liver was lacerated, and my colon and bowel were ruptured, I had burns, an open forehead, a 20p wedged in my bone and sepsis. "If you said to somebody this list of injuries, they go, 'they're dead. Yeah, simple as that'." The physical aftermath was merely the beginning for him. A sudden noise, aroma or mere word can trigger deeply distressing flashbacks of the incident, occurring with unsettling frequency – up to 15 instances daily. Compulsive rituals plague him, such as driving extensive distances to verify a locked door. He's also plagued by the anguish of surviving when others didn't, and horrific night terrors persist. "I see Khan a lot, it's like being haunted by him," he discloses. "I can wake up in the middle of the night, and he's standing next to the bed, leaning over me. It's a really strange sensation, because I know he's dead. I've watched the guy kill himself." BACK FROM THE DEAD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE 7/7 BOMBINGS By Dan Biddle with Douglas Thompson, by Mirror Books, £20 is out Thursday (Image: Humphrey Nemar ) There's no remedy for Complex PTSD, but Dan holds onto hope that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will recognise the significance an inquiry could have for him and others. Back in 2011, during the inquest into the 7/7 bombings, a verdict stated MI5 wasn't at fault despite having monitored Khan and another perpetrator prior to the attack. Nonetheless, Dan asserts: "A public inquiry won't give me my legs back. It won't give me my eye back." Article continues below Dan, who features in the four-part Netflix series Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 bombers airing from July 1, adds: "But I'd have a sense of justice that somebody has been held accountable. Khan got what he wanted. I'm living the life sentence he and the others should be serving." He adds: "It's time for answers."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was inches from 7/7 bomber - his face still haunts me'
Dan Biddle was standing close to Mohammad Sidique Khan when he exploded a bomb on the London Underground in the 7/7 attacks - he has told of the mental trauma as well as physical injuries he suffered It's nearly 20 years since Dan Biddle was carried, bloodied and burnt, out of London's Edgware Road Tube Station – his eye and both legs lost and his mind forever scarred. He had a 2% chance of recovery yet Dan would fight on to become a symbol of defiance – as 7/7's most-injured survivor. Nearly two decades on from the terrorist suicide bombings of July 7, 2005, he's still fighting. He has daily battles with Complex PTSD, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and survivor's guilt, and is haunted by hallucinations of the bomber's face. And Dan is fighting for the government to finally do right by the victims ahead of next month's 20th anniversary – by launching a full public inquiry. 'Some 52 people lost their lives, why doesn't that warrant one?' he asked. 'I knew that getting blown up, life was going to be tough but I didn't think it would be unjust.' More than 770 were injured when four jihadists blew up three tube trains and a bus. Dan is back there every night, when he closes his eyes. 'I have been exhausted for 20 years because I dread going to sleep,' he says. 'The minute I go to sleep, I'm on the floor in the tunnel.' Dan was 26 and 6ft 4in when his old life ended on his way to work at a construction site. He was standing close to bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan who was sat with a rucksack on his lap. 'I was about six inches from touching him,' recalls Dan. 'He was staring at me, and I thought it was a bit odd. I noticed him lean forward and look along the carriage. And then he sat back and was staring at me again. 'I was about to ask him what he was looking at. And then I see him put his hand into the bag. There was a white flash. It was just incredibly, incredibly bright, the feeling of a huge amount of heat. I was blown through the carriage doors.' Dan hit the tunnel wall and landed in the space between the tunnel wall and the tracks. 'Both my arms and hands were on fire, then I did the one thing that I wish I hadn't done. I started to look around. That's when I saw the first dead body. A young lady, catastrophic injuries. 'And then wherever I looked after that, the next one I saw was 10 times worse. There was no escape from horror around me. I heard people screaming, and then the screams stopped, and I knew why. 'Those screams don't ever leave you, and the smells…well, the smells never go away. It's a mixture of molten plastic, burnt meat, blood.' Dan was found by an ex-Army medic who risked his life to crawl across the tracks to help. He pinched Dan's femoral artery shut, just a minute before he would have bled out. His heart stopped 5hree times in hospital. The last time, the surgeon took nearly 15 minutes to get it going again by hand. He woke up eight weeks later. 'I've got an artificial left eye. My left eardrum was completely blown out,' he says. 'My right eardrum was perforated, my spleen burst, both my lungs were punctured, my kidney was punctured, my liver was lacerated, and my colon and bowel were ruptured, I had burns, an open forehead, a 20p wedged in my bone and sepsis. 'If you said to somebody this list of injuries, they go, 'they're dead. Yeah, simple as that'.' The physical injuries were just the start. A noise, smell or word will leave him transported right back to the tunnel – 10, 15 times a day. OCD means he drives 100 miles home to check he's locked the door. And he hounded by survivor's guilt and night terrors. 'I see Khan a lot, it's like being haunted by him,' he says. 'I can wake up in the middle of the night, and he's standing next to the bed, leaning over me. It's a really strange sensation, because I know he's dead. I've watched the guy kill himself.' There's no cure for Complex PTSD but Dan, who now lives with his wife Gem in Abergavenny, Wales, is hoping Keir Starmer will finally realise what an inquiry could mean to him and others. In 2011 a judge ruled at the 7/7 inquest that MI5 was not to blame despite monitoring Khan and another bomber four times before the attacks. Dan says: 'A public inquiry won't give me my legs back. It won't give me my eye back. 'But I'd have a sense of justice that somebody has been held accountable. Khan got what he wanted. I'm living the life sentence he and the others should be serving.' Dan, who is in the four-part Netflix series Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 bombers from July 1, says. 'It's time for answers.'
