Fall River Former Mayor Will Flanagan Breaks Silence on Violent Assault

It was just a few weeks ago that the SouthCoast woke up to the horrifying news that former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan had been stabbed multiple times in a violent attack near his home. The early headlines were chilling. The details were worse.

On Friday, November 7, Flanagan joined Michael, Gazelle and Michaela on The MGM Show on Fun 107 to discuss the attack — and he did not shy away from what he’s been through.

“It really puts it into perspective,” Flanagan said, admitting he fully understands how close this story came to being a funeral.

"I Was Lucky to Survive"

Flanagan shared that on October 20, he was hit from behind, never seeing the attack coming, and was stabbed twice in the face and once on each side of his neck.

The neck wounds were inches from his arteries and vocal cords. His trachea was punctured. He was placed on life support for a week. He also suffered a heart attack while on life support.

And yet today, he’s talking, he’s walking, and he’s recovering.

“My eye is starting to heal. My neck wounds are healing. My body is getting stronger,” he said, adding that being bedridden on a ventilator for a week left him having to literally relearn how to walk and eat. His goal is a complete recovery by Christmas.

"It Could Have Happened to Anybody"

Flanagan believes the attack was random. The suspect has a long history of violence and mental illness – and, according to Flanagan, was well known to the court system.

“What happened to me could have happened to anybody,” Flanagan said, pointing to similar tragedies around the country, including the fatal neck stabbing of an innocent Ukrainian woman on a train earlier this year.

READ MORE: The Story Behind Will Flanagan’s Fall River Cosmopolitan Cannabis Dispensary

The difference for him? In his words, people stepped in. A group of senior citizens (the incident happened near a senior assisted living center) rushed toward him to help stop the bleeding.

"St. Luke’s Saved My Life"

Flanagan credited Southcoast Health’s St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford with giving him this second chance.

“You take me anywhere else, I know I’m not having this conversation right now,” he said. “They were well-equipped to take care of a critical stab wound.”

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The Hardest Part

Of everything he’s been through physically, the emotional toll has been heavier.

The most painful part hasn’t been the surgeries, the ventilator, or the rehab. It's been the time he lost with his children.

“Each day is a gift,” he told Michaela, who as a parent, could be heard getting emotional in the studio.

Moving Forward

Flanagan said he plans to use whatever time he’s been given to keep speaking out – especially on issues of mental health, policy, and public safety.

“God gave me a second chance for a reason,” he said. “Hopefully some improvements are made and the streets of America become safer.”

Before signing off, he thanked Fun 107 and The MGM Show crew for the conversation.

“Thank you for having me,” he said. “I just want to come back stronger than before.”