One British woman is lucky to be alive after being caught in the devastating Manchester terrorist attack that killed 22 people and injured more than 100 others on Monday, May 22.
Her saving grace? Her iPhone.
With her daughter and her daughter’s best friend, Lisa Bridgett was talking on her phone in the foyer of the Manchester Arena after Ariana Grande’s concert had finished when the bomber, Salman Abedi, detonated his lethal explosive.
Mrs Bridgett sustained serious injuries, including the loss of her middle finger where a flying nut struck her phone, as well as a broken ankle, lacerations to her face and a large shrapnel wound to her thigh.
Image sourced from Steve Bridgett’s Facebook.
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Image sourced from Steve Bridgett’s Facebook.
Image sourced from Steve Bridgett’s Facebook.
However, Mrs Bridgett’s husband, Steve, couldn’t be happier that his wife, despite her injuries, was on her phone at the time of the blast.
“Lisa is in a positive mood and feels very lucky to be alive, witnessing first-hand what could have been,” he wrote on Facebook, along with sharing a series of pictures, including Mrs Bridgett’s broken, blood-spattered phone and shoe.
“She has suffered multiple injuries including losing the middle finger from her left hand, which was caused by a steel nut that hit her finger then into her phone and eventually coming to rest in her nose.”
“She has a fractured ankle caused by shrapnel, and also a large bullet hole wound to her thigh.”
“The fact she was on her phone at the time as probably saved her life… as the nut has hit her phone which has more than likely not only diverted it, but also slowed it down considerably.”
Mr Bridgett then went on to provide more graphic details of his wife’s injuries, before going on to thank the police and hospital staff who helped save his wife’s life.
“This may seem a bit graphic but at the end of the day it’s a reality – she will make a full recovery,” he continued.
“All of us want to thank the police for their incredible work after the incident and all the staff at both the MRI and Wythenshawe for all the work they have done and are doing… onwards and upwards.”
As days pass by, more and more stories about those killed and injured in the Manchester terror attack are coming to light.
As reported by The Sun, one Manchester father got the fright of his life when his 14-year-old daughter called him to tell her she was trapped beneath debris of the Manchester Arena after watching Ariana Grande perform.
“I had to be up early and went to sleep and woke up after 10.30pm,” Rocky McGovern told Rossendale Free Press, adding that he was in Scotland at the time of the explosion.
Like Mrs Bridgett, Ella has been in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, buying T-shirts from a merchandise stand.
“I had about eight missed calls. Ella then rang me saying ‘Daddy, daddy, I can’t move my legs. There’s blood everywhere.”
It was then that Ella’s phone went dead. Mr McGovern then frantically drove to Manchester in a bid to try to find his daughter.
Fortunately for Ella, despite being left with eight shrapnel wounds to her legs and two perforated ears, Mr McGovern was reunited with his daughter and wife at a nearby hospital where Ella was treated for her wounds.
While we are grateful and relieved Mrs Bridgett’s and Ella’s lives were spared during the horrific blast, our hearts continue to break for those who lost their lives at the hands of this terrorist attack.
