7/7 survivor 'in right place at the wrong time'

A survivor of the 7/7 London bombings whose actions helped save other passengers says she believes she was in the "right place at the wrong time".

Julie Imrie was on her Piccadilly line commute to work 20 years ago when a series of bombs were detonated on London's public transport system, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds more.

Then aged 22, it was Ms Imrie's actions that were credited with saving the life of fellow passenger Paul Mitchell after she tied a tourniquet around his damaged leg.

Speaking about the horror, Ms Imrie, from Huddersfield, said: "In that moment when I realised I was still alive, I was like this is survival mode, you need to help people."

Ms Imrie had been sitting in the front carriage of the packed train between King's Cross and Russell Square when Germaine Lindsay - one of the four suicide bombers responsible for the attacks - detonated his bomb just after it pulled out of King's Cross Station.

She recalled being "blasted backwards" and thinking: "I am having a nightmare, this is not real".

She said: "I opened my eyes and it wasn't a nightmare.

"I turned to my right to look at where this sound had come from and I saw this huge fireball coming towards me and I remember looking at it and then turning away.

"I remember thinking I am going to die, I'm going to be with my grandma and grandad, and that was the last thought that I had."

Afterwards, Ms Imrie described how the carriage was "plunged into darkness" and "the moans and really quiet noises started at first and then grew louder".

She said: "People were very seriously injured. They were in so much pain, people were screaming for help."

At this point, Ms Imrie realised her legs were entwined with a man who was sitting directly in front of her.

"We started speaking and said hello and introduced ourselves and he said his name was Paul Mitchell.

"We just started talking and it became clear that his leg was very seriously injured and he was losing a lot of blood."

Using her coat, Ms Imrie tied a tourniquet around his leg with other passengers passing down different items to help stem the flow of blood.

"At this point I tried to reassure people as well and say look, everything is going to be OK, something has happened but we are going to be OK, help will be on its way," she said.

After about 45 minutes of being trapped, they were rescued by emergency services.

Ms Imrie recalled walking out of the wreckage barefoot and holding the hand of fellow survivor Matthew Brook.

In the following days, she and Mr Mitchell managed to reconnect, leading to a lasting friendship borne out of tragedy.

"We saved his leg and ultimately his life and he always thanks me every 7 July."

She added: "I remember when he got in touch to tell me he was going to be a dad and how emotional and pleased I was for him and to know I was able to make that difference."

After the attacks, Ms Imrie, who had moved to London the previous year, no longer felt safe and returned to Huddersfield - ironically the same hometown of the 19-year-old bomber who blew up her train.

It is a shared link that Ms Imrie has struggled with especially since she now works in a school near to one which Lindsay attended.

"I work with staff who taught him and who knew him, so that's a constant reminder about what happened."

Ms Imrie said she was "proud" and "so glad" she was able to help on 7 July 2005.

"I really firmly believe on that day I was in the right place at the wrong time and I was able to do what perhaps other people may not have been able to do, which is completely understandable."

She added: "Having those close to me around me at this time of year means the world.

"I'm in such a lucky position to have that. So many people who went through 7 July, the victims and their families, don't have that so I really appreciate this second chance of life."

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