‘John was left dying on the floor when he needed to go to hospital’

‘The apology from North West Ambulance Service means nothing unless they act rapidly on the report to ensure no family has to go through this again’

The 28-year-old spent his life caring for others and was said to be loved by all around him.

Working with autistic adults, his “care and his kindness were evident for all to see” yesterday’s report stated.

Mr Atkinson had spent the evening enjoying the Ariana Grande performance with a friend. He had received the tickets as a present.

His death is now more likely to hang over the emergency services who responded to the atrocity than any other fatality.

The inquiry concluded he “probably” would have survived if he received the right care quickly enough – specifically a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from his leg.

Mr Atkinson had been 20ft from the detonation, but managed to drag himself across the floor of the foyer.

He remained there for 47 minutes and died after spending 24 minutes lying at a casualty-clearing area.

Following the findings of the inquiry, Mr Atkinson’s family said he was “totally failed at every stage”.

They also paid tribute to Ronald Blake, an injured stranger who helped him that night. Mr Blake used his wife’s belt as a tourniquet on Mr Atkinson’s leg, having only ever seen it done on television.

He said the wait with Mr Atkinson “seemed to last forever”.

Mr Atkinson’s family said in a statement: “During this crucial time, Ronald Blake acted heroically to try to save John. We want to say thank you again for all he did that night.

“However, the medical tourniquets John needed were not made available and the paramedics who could have saved him should have been at the scene much sooner.

“Even after John was moved from the City Room to the casualty-clearing station, further delays meant that he was not prioritised for evacuation to He was left, dying, without his dignity, on the floor when it should have been obvious to medics that he needed to get straight to hospital.

“As we know from witnesses, John kept asking if he was going to die.

“John must have known that he was dying and the pain that causes us is too great to put into words.

“This should simply never have been allowed to happen.”

Mr Atkinson’s family said their lives had been “shattered” after his death.

They added: “Everyone who knew him loved being around him. He always put others first. As the report says, his working life was spent helping those in care and his kindness and generosity were evident for all to see. He lit up our lives, and there is less laughter in the world without him.

“The apology from North West Ambulance Service means nothing unless they act rapidly on this report to ensure that no family ever has to go through this horrific experience again.”