West Hartford resident Andy Bassock has worked volunteer security for the Boston Marathon for 22 years and was at the finish line on Monday when the bombs went off.
“We started moving toward the grandstands because we could start hearing some people shouting, but it was very surreal -- almost quiet,” Bassock said.
His training kicked in and Andy ran toward the people screaming for help.
As he tried to clear the grandstands and get others out, at the same time putting his own life in danger, a colleague called out to him.
“He shouted ‘Andy get out! We think there are more bombs’" Andy recalls.
Andy's fellow volunteers grabbed wheelchairs from the finish line to move the injured to safety.
When he realized he hadn't called his wife and his cell phone was not working, Andy asked the crowd around him for help.
“Instantly five hands came at me with phones and I was able to call my wife and let her know I was safe and OK and trying to assist at the scene,” he said.
Those are the small moments of hope and humanity that survivors like Andy held on to and brought home with them.
Dan Benshoff, also from West Hartford, had already crossed the finish line when the first bomb went off. He was waiting in the medical tent.
“Paramedics started streaming from the back of tent to the entrance, which was Boylston (Street). And the guy on the PA system came on and said, ‘Everyone calm down, stay level headed. This is what we train for.’ So at that point, we knew something bad had happened,” he said.
In the chaos, no one knew if abandoned bags held more explosives.
Dan and his wife started walking out of the area, wondering whether the friends they came to run with were all right.
At home the day after the blasts, he's still trying to process everything.
“It's terrible and horrific and tough to deal with,” Dan said.
