Sarah Spina-MatthewsNorth West
HandoutAn Oasis fan has spoken about being seriously injured in an “excruciating” fall down some stairs at Wembley Stadium during one of the band’s reunion gigs.
Michael Hargreaves, of Stockport, said he broke his elbow after falling down stairs that were “slippier” than “any other concert I’ve been to” on 3 August, and having to miss most of the band’s set to get first aid and go to hospital.
Lawyers Slater and Gordon said Mr Hargreaves was unsure when he would be able to return to work as a self-employed plumber and gas engineer after being warned he could face “lifelong consequences of the injury to his dominant right arm”.
A Wembley spokesperson said all incidents were “investigated thoroughly”.
Mr Hargeaves said the pain when he slipped and hit the floor was “excruciating”, according to the law firm.
“And then I saw the blood. I knew something was seriously wrong, it genuinely felt like my arm had detached at the elbow.”
The Wembley spokesperson said Mr Hargreaves was treated onsite at the London venue and advised to go to hospital immediately, but he discharged himself to return to the concert.
HandoutMr Hargreaves, who went to the show with his wife Theressina, agreed he was determined to see Oasis, but had to leave after a few songs due to the pain from his injury, his lawyers said.
“They gave us some seats to watch Oasis, but I think once the shock had worn off, I realised the amount of pain I was in,” Mr Hargreaves said in comments issued via the lawyers.
“I just couldn’t stay, and knew I needed to get to hospital.”
The 53-year-old had emergency surgery and said he was now doing physiotherapy, but had been told he may never be able to straighten his arm properly again.
“I’ve always worked, I’ve worked for 35 years, and the thought of now having to claim benefits just to pay the bills is really awful,” he said.
‘Up in the air’
As a regular concert goer, Mr Hargreaves estimates he has been to Wembley about 65 times. “The floor was slippier than I’ve ever known it at Wembley, or at any other concert I’ve been to.
“I was walking down some stairs with a drink in each hand for me and my wife and the next thing I knew I was up in the air. It all happened so quickly.”
His legal representative Matthew Tomlinson at Slater and Gordon said the firm was investigating the cause of the incident.
But the firm cited reports of other Oasis fans who had attended the Wembley shows saying the floor was “like an ice rink”.
Another fan, Lee Claydon, died after falling from a height at the Oasis show the night before. An inquest into the cause of his death has been opened and adjourned for a further pre-inquest hearing, set for 19 November.
The Wembley Stadium spokesperson said: “All accidents and incidents that take place at Wembley Stadium are reported and investigated thoroughly.
“On this occasion the guest was taken to the medical centre and assessed by a doctor who treated a wound and advised he be transferred to hospital immediately for an x-ray and further examination.
“The guest refused the medical advice provided and discharged himself so he could return to the concert.”
