MIRACLE MAN
A MANCHESTER bombing victim told how he bumped into killer Salman Abedi seconds before the blast.
Martin Hibbert’s body was peppered with 22 fragments of shrapnel in the explosion.
He was left paralysed from the waist down after a bolt ripped through his neck – severing an artery – and dropped down his throat into his stomach.
Incredibly, Martin remembers walking into Abedi and looking into his eyes moments before the blast which killed 22 innocent people at an Ariana Grande concert.
Ed Sheeran’s tattoo artist Kevin Paul, 39, has just inked Martin with a bee, making him the first-ever patient to be tattooed in a UK hospital.
Thousands of people have had a tattoo of a bee – the symbol of Manchester – to support victims.
During their time together, football agent Martin revealed the terrifying details of the attack to Kevin.
Despite not talking publicly about DAMAGE: An X-ray showing the shrapnel in Martin’s body and, left, Kevin creates the bee tattoo the tragedy, Martin has given the tattooist permission to relay his story through the Daily Star Sunday.
Kevin said: “Martin remembers accidentally bumping into the bomber on his way out of the gig with his daughter.
“They both looked up at each other, Martin looked him in the eyes and then started to walk off in a different direction.
“As he did the bomb exploded, sending Martin and his daughter flying.
“He told me the worst thing was coming round and not being able to feel his legs.
“He could see body parts lying next to him and he didn’t know if they were his own legs or someone else.”
Martin, 40, and his teenage daughter, Eve, were just 10 metres from the suicide bomber when he detonated the device at the Manchester Arena on May 22.
No-one else who was that close to the blast survived and both are expected to remain in hospital for some time.
Our X-ray image of Martin’s injuries shows the damage done by the shrapnel.
Talking of their emotional meeting in Southport Hospital, Kevin went on: “It’s a miracle Martin is alive. He ‘died’ three times and no-one expected him to survive.”
Martin’s recovery will be shown on an ITV documentary which follows the lives of some of the survivors.
He will never walk again but now wants to become an ambassador for an anti-terrorism charity.
Kevin, who has also tattooed Harry Styles and Rihanna, said: “Martin just wants to make the most out of life after everything that’s happened. This guy is going to have nightmares for years but he still gets up every day fighting.”
Kevin designed a Manchester bee with the number 22, which means a lot to Martin, of Leeds, West Yorks.
The blast happened on May 22, he had 22 bolts in him, he was moved to a specialist hospital on June 22 and his discharge date is likely to be August 22.
Kevin, best known for Ed Sheeran’s lion tattoo, added: “To help Martin has been incredible for me.”