THE wife of a senior Conservative politician injured in the Brighton bombing could have been spared severe paralysis if modern technology had been available, according to a doctor who led the emergency response.
Carlos Perez-Avila has spoken publicly about the attack for the first time claiming that a lack of medical equipment could have contributed to the paralysis suffered by the wife of Tory trade secretary Norman Tebbit.
Margaret Tebbit fell through multiple floors of The Grand Hotel and was trapped for several hours - but Dr Perez-Avila says she was unable to have a CT scan or MRI in the immediate aftermath of the 1984 terror attack.
Dr Perez-Avila, lead accident and emergency consultant at the Royal Sussex County Hospital at the time of the attack, believes this may have contributed to the spinal injuries that left Lady Tebbit in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
Returning to The Grand yesterday for a conference of health professionals, Dr Perez-Avila said: “The lack of diagnostic equipment that we had in 1984 I think contributed to that.
“We did X-rays of her neck, she was paralysed from the neck down, and the X-rays were normal.
"There was no CT scan, there was no MRI, so she was transferred to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and further tests there failed to identify her lesion at all.”
Lady Tebbit was one of the most high-profile victims of the attack, she spent two years in hospital undergoing treatment and was eventually able to regain some use of her hands and arms.
The bomb blast, an attempt to assassinate members of the British government, including Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, killed five people and injured more than 30 others.
Dr Perez-Avila said that luck played a part in preventing loss of life on the day, as he had reviewed the hospital’s major incident plan several times in the run-up to the attack.
He said that the timing of the explosion, at just before 3am on October 12, also meant that accident and emergency was quieter than normal.
He praised the conduct of the emergency services on the night of the terror attack and said: “My staff, who I owe everything, were exceptional and, throughout the years I worked in the county, they remained exceptional.”
He also said he was struck by the calm and collected nature of those affected by the incident.
He said: “There was a lady from the bomb, caked in mud because of the blast, who was waiting to be treated. I offered her a cup of tea, and she said ‘Doctor, there’s nothing better than a cup of tea at four o’clock in the morning’.
“It just shows you the resilience of these people.”
In a speech in the aftermath of the blast, Mrs Thatcher addressed the Conservative Party conference and said: “The fact that we are gathered here now - shocked, but composed and determined - is a sign not only that this attack has failed, but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.”
Patrick Magee was found guilty of planting the bomb, detonating it, and five counts of murder and received eight life sentences in 1985.
He was later released from prison in 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, having served 14 years.
The conference of healthcare workers from across Sussex also discussed the county’s plans in the event of a “major incident”.
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