Oasis fan seriously injured after slipping at Wembley concert

Michael Hargreaves broke his elbow and sustained a serious wound to his arm following the incident on August 3, which has left him struggling financially through being unable to work in his role as a self-employed plumber and gas engineer.

Michael, 53, was returning from the bar at around 6.30pm, after watching support act Cast, when he slipped on a stairway onto the pitch. He received first aid at Wembley, and despite trying his best to stay, Michael and his wife Theressina were forced to miss the vast majority of the Oasis set to go to hospital.

Michael underwent emergency surgery at the Queen Mary Hospital in London the following morning, and has been warned he may face lifelong consequences of the injury to his dominant right arm. He is currently unsure when he will be able to return to work again.

As an avid Manchester City fan and former England Supporters' Club member, as well as a regular concert goer, Michael estimates he has been to Wembley around 65 times – but corroborates the reports of others at the Oasis gigs about the slippiness of the floors and stairs.

Reports have quoted fellow Oasis fans as saying the floor was “like an ice rink”, believed to have been caused by spilled drinks, and claims have been made that a slippy staircase may have been involved in the tragic death of another concert goer on August 2, who fell from the top tier of the stadium.

“The floor was slipper 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,” says Michael, from Stockport.

“The pain when I landed was excruciating, and then I saw the blood. I knew something was seriously wrong, it genuinely felt like my arm had detached at the elbow. I think I went into shock, as a lot of it is a blur after that.

“I had only had a couple of glasses of wine with lunch, so was far from being drunk, which is verified in my medical report. We were looking forward to a great time at Oasis after being so lucky to get tickets when a few extra ones were released after they initially sold out.”

After Michael was injured, he was taken to Wembley’s treatment room, where he had stitches. While medics advised him to go to hospital urgently, he was determined to see Oasis if he possibly could – but the pain became so great, he had to leave after a number of songs.

“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, I just couldn’t stay, and knew I needed to get to hospital,” recalls Michael.

“They kept me in overnight and operated the next morning. It’s been a few weeks now, but I’m really worried for the future. I’m having physio and we are working on extending my arm again – but I’ve been warned I may not be able to straighten it properly anymore. It’s all very uncertain, and it’s very worrying financially.

“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. It’s all so unknown, you never think you’ll be in this position. While a lot of my customers are waiting for me to recover, I just don’t know when that will be, and I’m having to turn work away – I couldn’t afford to pay someone else. It’s a really worrying time.”

Wembley has offered Michael two tickets to any upcoming event as a ‘goodwill gesture’, although that does not include the second round of Oasis concerts at the venue – something Michael says is “really disappointing”.

He has turned to serious injury specialists at law firm Slater and Gordon for support in finding answers around how he was injured, and in rebuilding his life.

Matthew Tomlinson, Head of Serious Injury (North) at Slater and Gordon, says: “This injury has turned Michael’s life upside down and has left him struggling physically and financially. We will work tirelessly to establish the facts of what happened to cause Michael’s serious injury, and to support him in his recovery.”