Westminster terror attack survivors a year on: We will live with the pain every day

On the eve of the Westminster attack’s first anniversary, survivors and families have remembered the horror of that day — and spoken of their hopes for the future.

On March 22 last year, Khalid Masood, a radicalised Muslim convert, ran pedestrians down with a 4x4 on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing Pc Keith Palmer in the grounds of Parliament. Masood was shot dead by armed police.

Pc Palmer, 48, died alongside mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 43, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Andreea Cristea, 31, who was visiting from Romania with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz. Dozens more people were hurt, including tourists from Ireland, South Korea, France, Poland and Germany.

Francisco Lopes, 27, from Willesden, was one of the last people to be hit before Masood’s car crashed outside Parliament. He was thrown over the bonnet, leaving his head and legs covered in gashes. He has since stopped work at an M&S in St Thomas’s Hospital because of stress.

“I was close to death,” he said. “I am just thankful to be alive, but it has changed me. I went into a big depression. I am just trying to be happy again, which is difficult some days. I have got a lot of anxiety. I get frightened of traffic. You never think it’s going to happen to you.”

Ms Cristea’s sister Magda Toi, 40, found out that her sibling had been hit in a phone call from Mr Burnaz, who had planned to propose that day. She told the Standard: “I will remember that day for the rest of my life. It is still so raw.

“I heard the news from Andrei 10 minutes after the attack. He rang on her phone. He told me a car crashed into them, and that he could not find Andreea. He was screaming, everyone was screaming in the background, I could hear police sirens.

“After that I turned on the TV and all the news was of a terror attack in London. I realised my sister was involved.”

Ms Cristea, an interior designer, had been hit and thrown into the Thames. Ms Toi flew in from her home in Bucharest but her sister had suffered critical injuries. Her life support machine was switched off two weeks later.

Ms Cristea’s family are planning to mark the anniversary in her hometown of Constanta by visiting her grave before taking food to a children’s home in her honour.

Ms Toi, who is being represented by law firm Fieldfisher in claiming compensation for the atrocity, said their lives were consumed by “overwhelming heartache and grief”. She said: “The big sadness is this child of 31 years is not with us and we miss her very much, and even one year on we can’t imagine she will not come back at all. The reality of losing her for ever is a pain we live with every day for the rest of our lives.”

Melissa Cochran, 47, who was visiting London with her husband Kurt to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when he was hit and killed, today said: “We all miss Kurt very much and speak of him often. I continue to focus on my recovery and think of all of the victims of that terrible day at this difficult time.”

Like Mr Lopes, she is being represented by law firm Slater & Gordon. She said: “While I continue to grieve my husband Kurt and all the victims, I strive to move ahead and focus on my recovery as well as honouring Kurt’s life by advocating love, forgiveness and peace.”

The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood told of his “deep regret” at being unable to save Pc Palmer. The defence minister, 51, ran towards gunfire to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the dying officer.

He said: “There are a number of impressions left with me. One is the immediate sense of deep regret and disappointment, also a sense of failure in arriving on the scene and finding a pulse and sadly we weren’t able to save Pc Keith Palmer’s life, and that very much stays with me. On a more stoic level, there is a huge pride. I come from an Army background and the comradeship in looking after one another, particularly when facing danger, is reflected in our emergency services and was very apparent.”

Mr Ellwood, who lost his brother Jon in the Bali bombing in 2002, said Britain’s resilience was crucial. “The world has become more dangerous and more volatile and it requires us on a national level to show the same bravery Keith Palmer emulated on that fatal day.

“I have a renewed respect and huge reverence for anyone who is in uniform, not knowing how their day might unfold, but who goes to work with the same professionalism and determination to serve, without question, and on occasion might be tested in a way that Pc Keith Palmer was... we are very blessed and fortunate to have such a professional service.

“You realise how mortal we all are and how short life can be, and you simply do not know what is coming around the corner. It makes you realise that you must recognise we live in very dangerous world.”