7/7 survivor tells of victim’s last moments: More heartbreaking testimony from the July 7 inquest

Nov 10 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A SURVIVOR of the deadly July 7 bombing atrocity tried in vain to help a fellow passenger before he watched the “lights go out” in his eyes as he died, an inquest heard.

Reliving the terrible events of the summer morning of 2005, Jason Rennie told how he heard a cry of “help me”, before he moved towards the voice, desperate to assist those around him.

But he could do nothing to save father-of-two Michael Brewster – a victim of the carnage wreaked by Dewsbury suicide bomber Mohammad Siddique Khan.

Mr Brewster was trapped in a hole in the carriage floor and died still clutching the hand of a fellow passenger.

Recalling the horrific scene of destruction in graphic detail, Mr Rennie told the inquest in the 52 victims of the terrible bombings he was drawn towards pleas for help.

Spotting Mr Brewster, he told how he tried to hoist the injured man out of a crater, along with a fellow passenger.

But he struggled to get a strong grip, owing to his own injured wrist.

“My foot was slipping on what I noticed was blood,” he said.

“That’s when we noticed his legs were very, very badly injured. They moved completely unnaturally,” he said.

“He must have been in great pain because he screamed then and we put him back down.

“As soon as I saw the injuries, we put him back down.”

Leaving survivor John McDonald to hold Mr Brewster’s hand, he turned his attention to another traveller, David Gardner, making a tourniquet with his shirt to stem the flow of blood from his leg.

But when he later looked back, he said he watched as Mr Brewster, known as Stan, died.

“It’s a strange thing to say but you can tell when the lights in someone’s eyes have gone out,” he told the inquest.

“His eyes were open and fixed. He wasn’t moving, he didn’t appear to be breathing, but I never checked.