'I watched my dad bleed to death as ambulance didn't show up for 45 minutes'

08 August 2023 , 14:50

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Matt Lane recently realised the painful waiting time after reading his father's post-mortem papers (Image: Matt Lane)

A man who watched his dad get stabbed to death by a gang of five has shared the heart-wrenching moment his "hero" protected him outside of his home.

Matt Lane, now 44, recently found his father Steve Lane's "upsetting" post-mortem papers after helping his sister move house. Now he is actively helping fund bleed kits after he tragically witnessed his father bleed to death two days before his 13th birthday.

Matt was having a "good time" as he played with the kids from his close in Dartford before an argument broke out between his adult neighbours in October 1992. But little did he know, that the neighbour had put out a target for anyone who had seen or heard about what had happened. Matt recalled how the man, who was fairly new to the close, had rang his two brothers and friends and started going "door-to-door."

Speaking about the moment his life changed forever, Matt said: "They were knocking on people's doors trying to get them to come outside. All the neighbours started ringing around each other's houses. But nobody rang our landline because we lived at the top of the close and everybody else lived at the bottom.

Steve Lane was attacked outside his home in Crayford, Dartford (Matt Lane)

Matt described his father as a 'strong' man (Matt Lane)

"There was a knock on our front door so I looked through the kitchen window. Then I went and opened the porch door to which the neighbour then ran down the pathway with a knife. My dad come up behind me and pushed me directly into the porch. As I turned to face him, the neighbour then started to stab my dad in the doorway.

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"He then dragged him out into the garden and then the other four came into the garden and proceeded to stab him with a samurai sword and axe. Then they had a baseball bat and a claw hammer. So I sort of scrambled up from the Wellington boots which were on the porch and made my way into the house."

Matt, who used to enjoy playing golf with his dad, said he ran upstairs to grab his dad's golf club to help but when he made it to the doorway he became riddled with fear.

Matt documents everywhere he has installed a bleed kit (Matt Lane)

"I was just too terrified to go out there," he explained. "I saw my hero out there being attacked and I knew at that point there was absolutely nothing I could do about it and I was terrified. So I turned back into the house and attempted to help my 10-year-old sister ring an ambulance."

But things went from bad to worse, after Matt noticed the ambulance lights "reflecting on the house" from the end of his road. But the medics were unable to reach them because the police hadn't reached yet. The attackers had fled the scene but the paramedics needed confirmation from the authorities. Despite medics arriving near the scene in just ten minutes, Matt and his family faced an excruciating 45-minute wait. "It just no longer had its siren on. It wouldn't attend until the police car got there," he said.

Matt, who is now a plumber and fight officer, said he knew the wait had felt like forever but only realised the exact times once he read the post-mortem papers last year. He added that the neighbour who started the initial argument was convicted of manslaughter whilst the others were never convicted.

Matt installed a kit for Routine Fitness Club (Matt Lane)

He said: "I probably shouldn't of, but I sat and read it. He was stabbed by five men so one of those bleed kits wouldn't have saved him. But if you've been stabbed maybe twice, three times, there's a good chance it would have done. It upset me reading the post-mortem. So I sat down and thought, how can I then go about helping others from this point on? I started ringing around and I came across Meres Supplies, which was massively head and shoulders over everybody else's."

Matt has since joined forces with the suppliers and has so far delivered at least 15 kits across gyms, pubs, restaurants and schools, including his son's. He stressed that the bleed kits aren't just for stabbings but can also be used to aid a critical bleed.

Matt discovered the bleed kits after carrying out extensive research (Mere Supplies)

The fight inspector, who works for companies including UFC and Misfits, says he forwards the cost of the £110 kits to businesses and if they can't afford it, he either funds it himself or through crowdfunding. When he goes to schools, he installs it for them and gives staff a "run-through" on how to use it.

Matt admits he is "stretched" and often drives himself "mad" by sending emails to spread awareness. He said: "I work for myself. So generally, I'm coming in from sort of half seven till three o'clock. then I've got a seven-year-old I need to entertain as well. When I'm not quite at work, I tend to lie in bed sending emails to places like football clubs and community centres."

Bradley Sadat-Shafai and Kyle Raffo founded the Mere Supplies (Mere Supplies)

He would like the bleed kits to act as "the first responder" in situations where emergency services are sadly delayed. Matt hopes he can eventually get the kits installed on high streets so they can be accessed at all times of the day. "I'm grateful for everyone's donations. I feel much better fitting the kits in these places," he said. I'm solely there to make a difference."

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Kyle Raffo is the co-founder of Meres Supplies as well as a paramedic, he told The Mirror: "In the face of a crisis, every second counts, and it's not always possible to wait for help to arrive. I've seen first-hand how crucial immediate action can be, hence we created our Bleed Control Kits. It's not just a product, it's a lifeline. It empowers ordinary people to become extraordinary lifesavers, because in the end, we're our own best first responders. My hope is that these kits will empower individuals to take immediate action in emergency situations, turning bystanders into potential lifesavers."

You can keep up to date with Matt's campaign on Instagram here.

Monica Charsley