An American tourist died saving his wife's life in the Westminster terror attack, an inquest heard yesterday.

Kurt Cochran spotted Khalid Masood racing at them on Westminster Bridge, starting what the coroner described as '82 seconds of terrible drama'.

Pushing his wife Melissa to the side, the 54-year-old musician took the full force of the impact from the 4x4 vehicle and was catapulted headfirst over a wall and on to a concrete walkway 17ft below.

In London for their 25th wedding anniversary, Kurt and Melissa Cochran walk along Westminster Bridge

The couple near the Southbank side of the bridge just as Khalid Masood arrives from the opposite direction in his Hyundai Tucson

The father of two suffered major injuries and died minutes later. His wife, 47, received a glancing blow from the Hyundai Tucson and had serious injuries. The couple, from Utah, were in London celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.

'Kurt Cochran behaved with incredible heroism, pushing his wife away, without regard for his own life,' said Dominic Adamson, who represents his widow.

The Old Bailey inquest into the deaths of the five victims in March last year heard Mr Cochran's actions probably saved his wife's life. As CCTV footage was played, Gareth Patterson QC, who represents three bereaved families, said: 'Masood is heading for Kurt and Melissa. It appears she is looking the other way and doesn't see the car swerving.

'He appears to get sight of the oncoming car. After that his right arm goes out and pushes his wife over to his right, trying to get her out of harm's way. By his efforts he avoided her being hit front-on. He may well have saved her life. She doesn't go over the wall.'

Detective Constable Simon Osland said Mr Cochran took a full-frontal impact: 'He was thrown back towards the wall and has gone over backwards.'

Grieving families left the courtroom as the appalling footage was played. The court was told that pedestrians were mown down like 'human bowling pins' and 'thrown into the air like rag dolls'.

Still taking in the sights, they are now only moments from disaster as Masood revs his car up to 42mph and drives straight at them at 2.40pm

Within 30 seconds, Masood fatally injured Mr Cochran, Leslie Rhodes, 75, Aysha Frade, 44, and Andreea Cristea, 31, on the bridge with his car.

Miss Cristea, a Romanian who was on holiday with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz, was shown being flung over a wall and into the river 41ft below. The current carried her for more than 300ft before she was spotted by a tourist boat.

She was in the water for nine minutes and never regained consciousness, dying in hospital two weeks later.

CCTV also shows Mrs Frade, who had her back to the terrorist's car, being struck at up to 42mph.

The mother of two, a school administrator from West London, was catapulted almost 60ft and landed in a bus lane.

Her head and shoulders went under a bus and she was killed instantly when its back wheel passed over her. Mr Rhodes, a retired window cleaner from Clapham, south London, was dragged 108ft underneath the car and died from head injuries a day later.

Masood, who was born in Kent, was driving at an average speed of 31mph before he crashed into railings surrounding the Palace of Westminster 30 seconds after the attack began. The 52-year-old left a trail of destruction, with dozens seriously injured.

Hit head on, Mr Cochran was sent flying over the wall to his death. He had pushed his wife, saving her life

Armed with two knives, he leapt out of the car and fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer inside the gates of Parliament. Although unarmed, the officer stood his ground as others ran for safely. There were no armed police nearby and he was shot dead by a plain-clothes officer who had rushed to the scene.

Chief coroner Mark Lucraft QC told the court: 'The lives of many were torn apart by 82 seconds of high and terrible drama.'

Those in court for the inquest, including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, observed a minute's silence for those who died.

Some 1,200 officers were deployed on the investigation – eight of them working six days a week for four months to watch all 6,000 hours of CCTV. Twelve people were arrested but no charges were laid.

Detective Superintendent John Crossley said: 'From every inquiry we have done, we have not identified any other person involved in this and it's my belief that Masood acted alone.' Mr Patterson said the CCTV images showed Masood was deliberately targeting pedestrians.

He said witnesses described the 'noise and the repeated thuds and bangs of the impact'.

Questioning Mr Crossley, he said: 'The driver Masood, behind the wheel, would have seen and heard every impact as he drove over the bridge. And so, is it right, your assessment, when you stand back and look at the gravity of what happened, there is no getting away from the barbarity of what happened and the inhumanity of what took place?

'This was terrorism of an indiscriminate type and whatever he thought about the values of democracy, it was those values of democracy that led police officers to try to save his life at the end of this.'

Det Supt Crossley, who led the investigation, agreed with this assessment.

Hugo Keith QC, representing the Metropolitan Police, asked the officer: 'He had but one sole intention, which was to kill a police officer?' Mr Crossley agreed.

Families of all of the victims left court to avoid seeing footage of their loved ones' deaths which was played to the coroner after they were told it would be distressing.

Mr Cochran, was on holiday with his wife Melissa, pictured together. She told an inquest hearing today that his last action was to save her life

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, described her husband as 'my inspiration, my rock star, and most of all my hero', adding: 'We wish everyone had Kurt's love and compassion for others.

'No words will bring Kurt back or anyone else who has died senselessly in such cowardly attacks on humanity.'

Mr Cochran acted with 'instinctive courage' when he pushed his wife out of the path of the hired Hyundai Tuscon driven by Masood, the court heard.

Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea (left) and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes (right) were also killed when Masood drove a rental car along the pavement of Westminster Bridge

CCTV footage also showed Masood stabbing PC Palmer as he lay prone against a low wall.

After inflicting the fatal blows, Masood was apparently distracted by another officer, giving PC Palmer the chance to run away. The hero police officer collapsed after a few paces.

At the start of the hearing, each bereaved family gave a touching 'pen portrait' of their loved one at the inquest.

Masood killed five in his 82-second rampage over Westminster Bridge in March last year. Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC today opened inquests into the victims' deaths

Police outside Parliament hold terrorist Khalid Masood on the ground after his terror attack in March last year. The inquests into the deaths of his victims opened today

PC Palmer's sister said he had joined the police to make a difference and loved his role guarding the Palaces of Westminster.

Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer said: 'His brave actions that day did not surprise me. Keith never backed away from a job protecting people.'

Aysha Frade's husband John told the inquest she 'lived and breathed for her daughters', and struck a balance 'between tender care and discipline'.

He said his wife, whose smile was like the sun 'popping out from behind a cloud', had been 'cruelly and brutally ripped away' from the family.

Masood mounted the pavement at 14:40:08 and within 30 seconds hit the four civilian victims and crashed into railings at the perimeter gates of the Palace of Westminster.

The attack came to an end when Masood was challenged by an armed close protection officer, who shot him three times when he failed to drop the two knives in his hands.

Masood drove along the pavement of Westminster Bridge before running into the grounds of Parliament

Masood's rented 4x4 ended up crashed into a gates of Parliament. He ran and stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death

Gareth Patterson QC, who represents three grieving families, said the images showed Masood was 'deliberately targeting pedestrians'.

He said it appeared people were being hit like 'human bowling pins' and 'thrown in the air like rag dolls'.

He said witnesses had described 'the noise and the repeated thuds and bangs of the impact'.

Questioning Mr Crossley, he said 'The driver Masood behind the wheel would have seen and heard every impact as he drove over the bridge.

'And so is it right your assessment when you stand back and look at the gravity of what happened, there is no getting away from the barbarity of what happened and the inhumanity of what took place.'

Mr Cochran acted with 'instinctive courage' when he pushed his wife out of the path of the terrorist's car, the court heard

Mr Patterson added: 'This was terrorism of an indiscriminate type and whatever he though about the values of democracy, it was those values of democracy that led police officers to try to save his life at the end of this.'

The coroner will examine Masood's background, police record and the fact that in 2009 and 2010 he briefly featured in MI5 investigations.

Security around the Palace of Westminster and the protection of PC Palmer's body armour is also an issue.

Video evidence will include footage of Masood as he set about hiring a car, buying knives and carrying out reconnaissance as he prepared for the attack.

Various experts will be called to give evidence about the crash, police body armour, and Masood's use of anabolic steroids.

A psychologist has also been asked to prepare a 'psychological autopsy' on Masood to look at how he came to settle on his violent intentions.

The hearings, which are due to go on for up to five weeks, will be followed by a separate jury inquest for Masood.

Mother killed on the bridge 'lived and breathed' for her daughters The husband of Aysha Frade said she had been 'cruelly and brutally ripped away from us' A mother-of-two killed in the Westminster terror attack as she walked from work on her way to pick up her children had a smile that was like the sun 'popping out from behind a cloud'. Aysha Frade's husband John told the inquest into her death how the couple met at the gym in 1996, and described how he was immediately struck by her smile. He said Aysha was 'relaxed, fun to be around, laughing and smiling', and greatly valued her family and close friends. She loved her job as a PA at a school and was a devoted mother to her two daughters, the Old Bailey heard. Mr Frade said the couple had plans for a big white wedding in 2006, but the idea was shelved when she became pregnant with their first daughter in 2005. Keen to be married before she gave birth, the couple 'grabbed two strangers from the street' to be witnesses and were married in a 10-minute ceremony. The inquest heard Mrs Frade 'lived and breathed for her daughters', and her husband was in awe of the balance she struck 'between tender care and discipline'. He told the court that she was a loving daughter to her aging mother who she visited every day. Mr Frade went on: 'The truth is that she still doesn't feel like she's gone, her love surrounds us, her aura lights up the paths of life's journey.' He said his wife had been 'cruelly and brutally ripped away from us'. Her sister Michelle also read an emotionally-charged statement to the hearing. She said: 'People cannot understand how this despicable act of futile atrocity has impacted on not only her families' lives but also herself. She will never be able to smile again, see her daughters grow up.' Mrs Grade had said she was worried about the risk of a terror attack when her job relocated near Westminster. Her sister went on: 'Aysha and all the other victims of this tragedy are people and not just statistics or a name that will be forgotten once this inquest is over.' Advertisement

Retired window cleaner was killed on his way back from hospital Leslie Rhodes, pictured in younger life, loved cricket, growing vegetables and music, his family have said A retired window cleaner caught up in the Westminster terror attack was 'placid, quiet and kind', his inquest heard. Pensioner Leslie Rhodes, 75, was on his way back from an appointment at nearby St Thomas's hospital when he was killed. His niece Amanda Rhodes told how the family were 'devastated' and 'incredibly angry' on hearing of his death. She told how Mr Rhodes was born in Battersea, south-west London, as the youngest of three children. 'Everyone loved him. He would do anything to help anyone who needed it,' she said. He loved his job as a window cleaner and would stop and enjoy tea with his customers before his retirement. Ms Rhodes said he had a very private life and, despite his advancing age, continued to climb ladders and ride his bicycle, as well as enjoying cricket, growing tomatoes and listening to music. His favourite Queen song - These Are The Days Of Our Lives - was played at his funeral, the hearing was told. In a statement read out at the Old Bailey, she said: 'Les will be greatly missed by all his family and friends who loved him. May he rest in eternal peace.' Advertisement

Wife pays tribute to her hero husband who died saving her life Mr Cochran was described as a 'rock star' and 'hero' by his family The widow of American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, has paid tribute to her 'hero', who died saving her life. Mr Cochran and his wife Melissa were walking across Westminster Bridge when they were both hit by the rented car being driven by Khalid Masood, 52. At an inquest into his death, Mr Cochran was described as a 'rock star' and 'hero' by those who knew him as pictures of him were displayed on two big screens. He left behind a 'legacy of love and compassion' and spread joy to everyone he met, the Old Bailey heard. Mrs Cochran was too upset to pay tribute to her late husband in person. Her sister Angela Stoll read out a statement on her behalf on what would have been the day after Mr Cochran's 56th birthday. 'He was my best friend, my husband and my everything,' she said. 'I was so lucky to have had 25 wonderful years with the man of my dreams. He made me laugh every single day. I cherish every single memory we made. 'I am forever grateful for the time we had together, allowing me to be the mother to his children and especially his heroic actions on that day, saving my life.' Kurt Cochran and his wife Melissa. She said: 'He was my best friend, my husband and my everything' She described her husband as 'my inspiration, my rock star, and most of all my hero', adding: 'We wish everyone had Kurt's love and compassion for others. 'No words will bring Kurt back or anyone else who has died senselessly in such cowardly attacks on humanity.' Ms Stoll told how Mr Cochran grew up in the Sixties and Seventies when he developed 'a profound love for all music' and played the guitar from a young age, wanting to be a rock star. He never fulfilled his dream, but nurtured musical talent through his recording studio, she said, and the family held a concert instead of a traditional funeral following his death. 'We love you Kurt, more than the moon and stars,' Ms Stoll said tearfully. Advertisement

Romanian tourist had hoped 2017 would be 'the best year of my life' A Romanian tourist killed in the Westminster attack had written that she hoped 2017 would be the best year of her life. Andreea Cristea, 31, died from her injuries after she was thrown into the Thames as she walked across Westminster Bridge with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, on March 22 last year. Her family, some of whom followed proceedings from the British Embassy in Bucharest, paid tribute to Ms Cristea on what would have been her 33rd birthday in an audio recording played in court. She was described as a 'lovely, enchanting and life-loving' woman, who had a thriving interior design business. Architect Andreea Cristea, pictured in London before the horrific terror attack The statement from her family included a note from Ms Cristea, which was written on her final New Year's Eve in which she told of her hopes for the coming year. 'The year 2017 will be the best of my life,' she wrote. She hoped she would be 'happy, cheerful and jovial', have a successful business and buy a new house, which she planned on decorating. 'I will have a wonderful man by my side, who will love and cherish me and with this man I will start a wonderful family,' the note said. Her family said they had been 'hoping for a miracle' when she was in hospital following the attack and told of their 'heartbreakingly sad' loss when she died two weeks later. 'All her dreams were shattered when she went on her final trip to England, London, and she suddenly became the victim of the Westminster terror attacks,' their statement said. 'It is awful and heartbreakingly painful. The pain we felt and feel now cannot be expressed in words.' Advertisement

Hero police officer joined the force 'to make a difference' before making the 'ultimate sacrifice' as he guarded the seat of British democracy

PC Palmer's sister said he 'was always brave and took his role as a police officer seriously'

Popular family man Pc Keith Palmer has been hailed for making the 'ultimate sacrifice' during the Westminster terror attack.

Family, friends and colleagues of the 48-year-old uniformed officer paid tribute at the Old Bailey inquest into the victims' deaths.

PC Palmer was unarmed and wearing body armour when he was fatally stabbed by Khalid Masood in the forecourt of the Palace of Westminster on March 22 last year.

His sister Angela told of Pc Palmer's career from paperboy to police officer.

She said he joined the force because he wanted to 'make a difference'.

He would help his friends and families with household jobs like mowing grass or building walls and loved family gatherings, she said.

She said the best day of his life was when his daughter was born and he went on to become a 'proficient nappy changer' as he took to fatherhood.

Pc Palmer took up his job at the Palace of Westminster for a new experience and loved his new role.

His sister said: 'He was always brave and took his role as a police officer seriously. He treated everyone with respect.

'Keith died protecting strangers whilst doing his job and he will be remembered by many for his courage and bravery.'

PC Palmer's coffin is carried into Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at his funeral last year

She said the family was 'completely devastated' and would also remember him as a caring and loving father, husband, son, uncle and friend.

Pc Shaun Cartwright described him as a happy, honest and genuine family man who worked to provide for his wife and daughter.

As the 'face of British policing', he was also popular with tourists who flocked to the Palace of Westminster, Pc Nick Carlisle said.

Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer paid tribute to Pc Palmer's 'ultimate sacrifice'.

He said: 'His brave actions that day did not surprise me. Keith never backed away from a job protecting people.'

While many would remember him for his 'brave actions' and 'ultimate sacrifice', Mr Sawyer said: 'To me and others he was our dear friend.'

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick was also present as the inquests began today.