‘I hope they realised they weren’t alone’published at 11:08 British Summer Time
Karl Mercer
Political editor, BBC London
Craig Cassidy, who has been a paramedic with the London Ambulance Service since 1999, says seeing fatally injured people in the tunnel in Aldgate following the 7/7 bombings is seared into his memory.
“You cannot prepare for this kind of thing,” he says. “You do what’s in front of you, you deal with what you’re presented with, knowing that you’ve never experienced this before, but you’ve got to get on with it.
“I put myself to one side. When I when I’m at work, I’m not Craig. I put my uniform on, I’m a different person, I’m a paramedic.”
Reflecting on his involvement on the day, he adds: “I hope I did it well. I hope I gave some comfort to some of the people. I hope they realised that they weren’t alone at that point.
“I’ve been back to that station many times because I still work in the same area. When I go back in, it’s still present with me.
“Every one of them was someone’s partner, someone’s wife, someone’s husband, someone’s son. Parents should never bury a child, and I knew that was going to be happening.”
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