Manchester Arena bomb hero Darron Coster dies in crash

Addressing him after he gave evidence to the inquiry, Sir John told Mr Coster he was "a hero"

An ex-military police officer hailed a hero for helping Manchester Arena bomb victims has died in a road crash.

Darron Coster was praised for his actions after giving evidence to the Manchester Arena Inquiry in April.

Addressing the inquiry, chairman Sir John Saunders said Mr Coster, from Accrington, died "following a road traffic collision" on 14 July.

He said he did an "amazing job" treating casualties after the bombing and his heroics would "live on".

Mr Coster, who retired from the Royal Military Police in 2008 and was in his 50s, was waiting to pick up his son when the explosion happened on 22 May 2017.

The attack killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.

'Very proud'

Opening a hearing of the inquiry earlier, Sir John said Mr Coster's death was "very sad news".

He did not give any other details of the crash.

He said Mr Coster, who told the inquiry in April that he used his Royal Military Police training to assist in the "carnage", was a "hero" for what he did on the night of the attack.

"Because of his training in Northern Ireland, he had experienced explosions in the past," he said.

"He knew how to help those who had suffered blast injuries [and] applied improvised tourniquets to some of the more seriously injured."

Mr Coster told the inquiry that his first action had been to shut the doors to the blast scene after thinking "nobody needs to see that"

He said Mr Coster's actions would "live on in the memories of many".

He added that his former commanding officer had been in touch with the inquiry and described how "very proud" Mr Coster's family and former colleagues were of him.

"[His] commanding officer says that 'lead by example' is the motto of the Royal Military Police and... that is what Darron did on that dreadful night.

"He leaves a wife and a son and the thoughts of all us connected to the inquiry are with them."

Road haulage firm Fagan & Whalley Ltd, where Mr Coster worked in training and development, said in a statement that "the passing of our dear friend and colleague" had brought "great sadness", adding that his "reassuring happy presence" would be "sorely missed".

Mr Moore said Mr Coster "always thought of others first"

Former Supermoto racer Will Moore, who travelled the world with Mr Coster when he was a mechanic, said he was "one of the nicest, genuine blokes you could ever meet".

He said Mr Coster had "taken him under his wing" when he was 16 and competing in major races, adding that he "helped a lot of people in racing".

"When I saw pictures of Darron helping at the arena, it didn't surprise me," he said.

"He always thought of others first."

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