Boston bombing brings a moment of terror for BHS student

During the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded, killing three people and injuring 264. The news showed many families who were devastated and worried for their relatives who were running in the marathon. Senior Michael Raitor was one of the many who had that feeling. Both his parents were in Boston at the time of the bombing. His father, John Raitor, was running the marathon, while his mother, Carleen Raitor, was there for support.
“I heard about it on twitter,” said Raitor. “I just had a sinking feeling; like, oh crap, this is happening.”
Raitor was worried that his parents might have been two of the many injured in the bombing. He just wanted to know that they were okay.
“It was about 20 minutes until I heard from them. They knew I would worry and see it, so they were pretty quick about it,” said Raitor. “They knew they only had a few minutes to get a message. They sent it five to ten minutes afterwards, but it just took that long to get out.”
Raitor’s parents were in a shopping center because his father had just finished running. They were eating at a restaurant when they looked up at the screen of a live broadcast of the marathon and noticed something was wrong.
“There was a camera guy and my dad saw him looking at the ground and the sky, and his first thought was ‘Man this guy is going to get fired’ because he was on the race before and how do you screw that up? The camera was running to get near the explosion,” said Raitor.
Raitor’s parents didn’t hear, see, or feel the explosions. They were also not injured. Instead they were watching the bombings from inside on the TV. The bombings had happened right across the street.
“Then everyone said ‘Shelter Down”. It was the phrase everyone used in the building they were in.” said Raitor “So once the guy at the booth next to where my parents were saw what was going on, he told my parents and they all had to hunker down by the booths. They said it was surreal to be watching the streets right outside the building you’re in on TV.”
After the bombing, all of the cell phone towers and transportation was shut down. Raitor’s parents had to walk miles to get to where they could be safe. They didn’t see anyone who was injured by the bombings, however they did see someone get hit by a car in the hectic and panicked traffic.
When Raitor’s parents returned home, they were relieved to be safe and at home. They had many stories to tell. Although, the constant questions and calls about the bombing got tiring after a while.
“I feel like I was more angry than my parents were. I was just upset that someone would attack an innocent place and innocent people,” said Raitor. “They were just more sick of talking about it. Everyone was asking, calling, and texting. They were grateful that people were curious, but after a week of people talking about only the bombings, it was tiring.”