A survivor of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing has died, with his family believing the attack was ultimately responsible for his death nine years later. Adam Regan-Brooks was 27 years old.
Regan-Brooks was a student when he attended the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated explosives packed with nuts and screws as shrapnel, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more. Regan-Brooks, who was walking toward the venue's foyer at the time of the blast, escaped physical injury but had to navigate the horrific scene to help a friend.
His mental health deteriorated significantly in the years following the attack. He experienced recurring flashbacks of the event and struggled with survivor's guilt, reportedly wishing he had stayed to help others. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was at one point sectioned under the Mental Health Act. His sister, Hannah Brooks, told The Sunday Times that her brother would still be alive if not for the bombing.
"It's killed him too," she said of the attack. "No one remembers the ones who have passed on afterwards. Some people didn't properly come home. They are still living with it, and those people get lost."
Regan-Brooks' life changed dramatically after the bombing. He left his job at a care home and went on benefits. He reportedly spent the £10,000 compensation he received in a matter of months. He experienced panic attacks in large crowds, and by April 2022, a suicide attempt left him requiring lengthy surgery and a wheelchair.
He married his husband, Michael, four years after the bombing. Michael Regan-Brooks urged others still suffering from the after-effects of the attack to seek help.
Regan-Brooks was found dead in May at the home he shared with his husband in Oldham, shortly after the ninth anniversary of the massacre. An inquest into his death is pending, but his relatives fear his suicide was a direct consequence of the terror attack.