Boston Bombing victim is ex-lecturer at Manchester

The now iconic image of Eric Whalley after the bombing.

Perhaps the most recognisable victim of the Boston Bombings was a lecturer at the University of Manchester.

Eric Whalley, now retired at 65, left his position as a lecturer of pharmacology in 1989 to move with his family to America.  Fortunately his injuries from the bombings were not fatal, but Mr Whalley has suffered damage to his eyesight, lost part of his right foot and has had a degree of brain trauma.

Mr. Whalley, who lectured at the University of Manchester for 14 years, has had to have multiple operations to remove ball bearings and nails from his body. His wife, Ann, was also hit by the explosion and was initially thought to have died, and has since undergone major surgery to repair her heavily damaged right foot. One of the couple’s sons, Richard, became the focus of the public eye after he took to Facebook upon seeing the photo of his father after the explosion, releasing a plea for more information about both Eric and Ann.

Richard Whalley used Facebook to try and get any information on his parents

Both Richard and his brother, Chris, have set up a fund on Give Forward to aid their parents’ recovery and pay for their medical bills, with $141,000 having been raised already out of a projected $200,000 aim. The family have said that any money left over from the fund will go to other families affected by the bombing.

Eric and Ann Whalley