He was on the 47th floor of the North Tower. Because of the decision to ascend the stairs, all of Clark's coworkers were killed, except for one, Ron DiFrancesco, who reversed course. Why them? he told AP. 6pc S-K Tools 1/2" Drive - 6 . I told him, I have no siblings and Id be glad to be your blood brother, Clark recalls. "There are parts of the day that I remember that can add to what we're doing on the site. He and Clark are forever grateful that they had a different outcome. "In our wildest dreams, we never thought it would be a fully loaded commercial airliner with full tanks of fuel. I write about investor immigration and about Immigration issues. For a time after 9/11, Police Department Officer Mark DeMarco replayed the what-ifs in his mind. One minute he was standing in a room with 200 people. I cant breathe!. Miraculously, the desk shielded him as his office collapsed. It wasnt Bruce Stephans first incredibly close call. ET. Structural engineer Gene Corley, vice president of Skokie, Ill.-based CTL Group, wrote a U.S. government report on how the World Trade Center performed after being attacked. The explosion ripped through the 78th floor sky lobby. Only seven would make it out alive. Copyright 2023 by Wells Media Group, Inc. The opportunity came in the form of the 9/11 Memorial, which invited Crown to be on its board. After going through something like we did, all you can do is try to live your best life from day to day and move forward with gratitude.. "I'm very excited for it to deliver on Sunday and for the victims family members to be on site and experience it," he said. At the beginning of the year, we planted the survivor tree and it serves as a symbol of remembrance for those of us that were lucky, alongside the nearly 3,000 names on the site that were not as lucky.". This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and while America has pushed forward, the country and world were never the same in their aftermath: We entered two wars, with the War on Terror in Afghanistan only just winding down; the Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency were createdand, obviously closest to home, many lost loved ones, as well as a sense of security that most Americans took for granted. Of all the 9/11 survivor stories, one of the most unbelievable belongs to two men: Brian Clark, a Canadian businessman whose office was struck by one of the planes, and Stanley Praimnath, the man whose life he saved. The 20th anniversary of 9/11 is on Sept. 11, 2021. Yet some people in the highest reaches of the South Tower made it out. Dont be afraid, he says. What is the reason I was saved? he tells PEOPLE. Praimnath's and others' stories were told on the 2006 BBC docudrama 9/11: The Twin Towers. In the blink of an eye, it was just 14. A total of 125 people died at the Pentagon on 9/11. Tabeek won't be going to the memorial on the 10th anniversary. It is one that reminds us of how precious life can be and of the fact that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Although RLI lost its branch office in the World Trade Center as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the company was fortunate to have all its New York branch employees escape safely. Accounts from the North Tower can be found here . Sanders went to funeral after funeral for EMTs, firefighters and police to show appreciation for their sacrifice. He has post-traumatic stress disorder. The father of four had travelled east from his home in Aurora, a Chicago suburb, and he stayed the night of September 10 at his parent's home in Philadelphia. Dittmar, who worked in the insurance sector, was one of 54 people in the meeting. And I said, Theres no way! There were audible groans. Above the impact zone. "There were as many as 25,000 people in each of those buildings. But the attacks also left other marks, ones she didnt choose. Help! American Airlines Flight 77 departed from Dulles International Airport in Virginia when it was hijacked over Ohio and crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. No one on any of the four planes survived the 9/11 attacks. A. Quentin Skip Orza II, vice president, RLI EPG, was one of three N.Y. branch employees in the building when the horrific events occurred. It impacted people from all over the world, people from almost 100 countries died on Sept.11.". When there's a loud noise I still jump. Remarks that used to bother her stirred no reaction. "I know I experienced the worst 30 or 40 seconds of my life there. She was diagnosed in 2006 with sarcoidosis, she said; the federal government has concluded the inflammatory disease may be linked to trade center dust. While Sept. 11 was a day of carnage, it also was a story of survival: Nearly 3,000 people were killed, but an estimated 33,000 or more people evacuated the World Trade Center and Pentagon. There was no immediate evacuation order for the south tower. The 47-story building at 7 World Trade Center had just collapsed, about seven hours after the burning towers fell and debris ignited fires in the smaller high-rise. Is anybody there? They did not know yet that a hijacked plane had been involved. "Sept .11 didn't just impact New York. Eventually they encountered some smoking debris, but were able to move it aside. After watching in horror as a fireball engulfed several floors of the North Tower, Crown and hundreds of others streamed down 22 flights of stairs to the 78th floor sky lobby, where express elevators would speed them to the ground floor. Survivors of 9/11 recount historic moment, give back at tribute museum Of all the 9/11 survivor stories, one of the most unbelievable belongs to two men: Brian Clark, a Canadian. "And (then) the concrete starts spidering out and the handrails are breaking away from the wall and the steps are like waves in the ocean undulating underneath your feet. Final survivor of south tower collapse struggles with scars of 9/11 Torrey AndersonSchoepe, Yahoo! He was especially impressed by a heavy set man who had also come down from his tower and was now descending with Ron into the bowels of the building. The firefighter examined him and told Ron to go down to the bottom where he would be cared for. I will call Stanley and tell him, Its good to be here its good to be anywhere, Clark tells PEOPLE. On the 45th floor, recalls Praimnath, we came across a security guard who was caring for a man who had broken his back. Related:The Most Powerful Quotes Remembering 9/11 on the Upcoming 20th Anniversary. ", Tabeek worried about the debris raining down from the crippled North Tower onto the plaza below. But be mindful., Retired NYPD Officer Surviving 9/11 was just the first piece of the journeyo, is seen in a reflection off a display cabinet where he keeps memorabilia from 9/11 including the small flashlight which he used to help him navigate his way out of the rubble of the fallen skyscrapers, in his home in the Staten Island borough of New York on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. Thanks to a stranger named Brian Clark who heard those pleas and came to his aid instead of fleeing down the only surviving stairway in the South Tower, Praimnath became one of only four people at the impact zone to escape that morning. The 9/11 attacks killed 2,751 victims initially. Only later after the officers turned around and eventually clambered through shattered windows to safety did DeMarco realize hed nearly tumbled into a crater carved by the collapse. The left wing sliced through his office and became lodged in a door 20 feet (6m) from him. All I could think of was that I wanted to see my wife and my daughters again. Many of his thoughts at first were with the first responders who helped him. When Dittmar reached the stairwell, he said an announcement came over the building's PA system, saying the South Tower was safe, that people should return to their desks but if they wanted to evacuate then they should do so safely and without panic. From Insurance Journals 9/11 Archives Crown was working for the financial services group of AON Insurance on the 100th floor of the South Tower when the North Tower was hit. All of the children in my family call him Uncle Brian., Clark is also a snazzy dresser, rarely seen without a necktie, says Praimnath, so I call him GQ. And he calls me Stan the Man. . They cherished a newfound sense of community. Three years later, in an e-mail interview with Insurance Journal about that day, Greenberg discussed how Marsh families were impacted, and how the company has rebounded despite the terrible losses. "Some days, it feels . "There were over 200 people on the 78th floor," Crown said, "and I was fortunate to be in one square foot where I was able to survive the impact.". Ron says that the impact of the crash was so violent that the building swayed some seven or eight feet. On an impulse, he started heading down Stairway A. Insurance Companies Had Major Presence in World Trade Center Others willed their way out of pitch-dark rubble. A woman who escaped the World Trade Center on 9/11 has called on people to remember survivors who are still struggling, 20 years on. He came to my daughters wedding and I went to his. The public hasnt fully recognized the losses survivors felt, says Mary Fetchet, a social worker who lost her son Brad on 9/11 and founded Voices Center for Resilience, a support and advocacy group for victims families, first responders and survivors. Cast aside in the stairwell were scores of abandoned high heels, bags and laptops. 105TH. Free shipping for many products! Were both very happy to be alive. Im alive.. The man agreed but indicated first towards a bathroom sign. A woman from the 8.30am meeting was screaming at Dittmar to get into a lift. "I was scared to go because I felt so guilty that I lost so many and I lived. Various charities raised over $1.2 billion for 9/11 relief. This was Stanley Praimnath, a Fuji Bank employee who had seen Flight 175 approach and ducked under his desk just before the impact. The Observer September 11 2001. Although he and his wife have since moved to Chicago, they made plans to have the baby in New York for the anniversary. Thats what he did. "That's the chance we had for the first time to look out the windows to the north and to see this unbelievable sight," Dittmar recalled, describing the mind-scrambling view of the North Tower which now confronted him, "an awesome, gruesome sight". None of them would survive. They turned to look back down the corridor where they saw a huge fire ball coming at them. ", Now he attends every year. He said, Please tell my wife and baby that I love them. , Praimnath pauses, then continues through tears. They had no idea a second jet was roaring directly toward them. In the South Tower, the National Institute of Standards and Technology estimated at least 618 victims were at or above the point the second plane hit. For starters, Praimnath's salvation should have been far less miraculous. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Brian Clark was at work on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center when an airplane hit his office. It was hours _ of pushing back pain, thinking of rescues in past disasters, talking to keep alert _ before they were found and gruelingly extricated by former U.S. Marines, NYPD officers, a onetime paramedic and firefighters as blazes flared and debris shifted and fell. Departing from Boston's Logan International Airport, American Airlines Flight 11 was flown into the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46 a.m. At 9:03am, Flight 175 struck floors 77 to 85 of the building, with Mr Clarks office at the top of the impact zone. The total number of casualties of the aftermath of the attack will likely, tragically, rise: Over 1,100 9/11 first responders have been diagnosed with cancer directly linked to the dust and air quality after the terror attacks. Ron descended below. "We didn't have a clue, not a clue. On 11 September, 2001, Mr Clark was at work on the 84th floor of the World Trade Centers South Tower. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is located at the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Incredibly, he survived and saved another mans life, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. And she has asked herself: Why am I here and 3,000 people are not?, But while Im here, Ive got to make it count, says Lanski, who has spoken at schools and traveled to conferences about terror victims. After he and his wife, Jennifer, settled on Long Island and raised two daughters, Praimnath worked his way up in the banking business, eventually ending up at Fuji Bank, with a beautiful view from the top of the world on the South Towers 81st floor. Barely able to see his own boots with a small flashlight, DeMarco inched through the ruins with two officers behind him. Mr Clark and Mr Praimnath headed the other way, beginning the long journey down 80 floors to the bottom. He explained how it was possible for a very few to survive the extreme impact. Im just fortunate., Smoke looms over Manhattan after the collapse of the World Trade Center on 11 September, 2001, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Brian Clark recalls how he survived the September 11 terrorist attacks. "We feel this heat ball blowing by us, we smell this jet fuel and this thing keeps rocking back and forth it felt like forever. "The memorial will serve as a place for us to remember the victims of Sept. 11 and we should never forget them," he say. At the same time, Praimnath had just arrived back at his desk after taking the elevator to the ground floor, where he and other employees were told by a security guard that they should return to their offices so they wouldnt interfere with the evacuation of the North Tower. The Colombian-born U.S. Navy veteran hopes that people see in his story the resiliency of the human soul, the American spirit, and the power of good people stepping up in bad times. Crown was one of them. The South Tower had 18 survivors, all from the floors beneath the impact zone of the plane. You can learn about their all-too-short lives here. Then Jimeno, who is Catholic, had what he describes as a vision of a robed man walking toward him, a bottle of water in his hand. "Best decision I've made in what is still my life," he said. Feb. Then he took a step and felt nothing underfoot. None of them would survive. I said, 'I'm getting the heck out of here. Only 15 people escaped from the North Tower of the World Trade Center attack before the building collapsed. Unable to reach her by cell phone, Bruce Stephan dashed to a payphone and called her relatives, who told him shed gotten out. But at the same time, the main emotion we feel is sadness, for all of those who lost their lives.. On 11 September, 2001, Mr Clark was at work on the 84th floor of the World Trade Centers South Tower. Related:Childrens Book Series 9/11 Courage and Tributes Aims to Help Teach Kids About Sept. 11, 2001Read an Excerpt Here. ET and crashed into a field over Shanksville, Pa., at approximately 10:03 a.m. Although they are still living, theyre living in a very different way., Dsire Bouchat poses for a photo at the World Trade Center, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in New York. So they went one way, while Clark, who had heard Praimnaths cries for help, went down. Crown, 33, credits family and friends' support in the weeks that followed for his ability to cope with the tragedy he'd experienced. [5], As the dust cloud from the collapsing South Tower approached them, they ran south and entered 42 Broadway as the wave caught up to them. He could also see people trapped in the North Tower. I said, Uh, Im Brian. He said, Im Stanley! "And they knew, they knew that they were going up those steps to fight a fire that they couldn't beat, knew that they were going up those steps to save lives that they couldn't save. Now there was also fire down below and despite using a piece of drywall to shield himself from the heat, as he proceeded his body was being burned. Well be brothers for life!. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. "I think I bring a different perspective to the board," he said. After helping evacuate the north tower, the Emergency Service Unit officer was surrounded by a maze of debris when parts of the skyscraper tumbled onto a smaller building where hed been directed. There were burns to the great majority of his body. In 2007, the total death toll was increased to account for those who succumbed to illnesses caused by exposure to the dust, debris and toxins (including asbestos, lead and mercury) from the terror attacks, and tragically, that number continues to rise. Since then Ron and his family have moved back to Canada. But they also say they have gained resilience, purpose, appreciation and resolve. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was off duty from his job as an emergency medical technician with the New York City Fire Department (NYFD), when he saw United Airlines Flight 175 hit the south tower . Desiree Bouchat pauses by one of the inscribed names on the 9/11 memorial: James Patrick Berger. People reached for their cellphones, "to call somebody to moan and groan about the fact that we couldn't have our meeting.". He politely waved and continued down the stairwell. "Everybody pretty much had the same reaction," Dittmar said. After helping Praimnath over the wall in the darkness, the two men headed down 1,620 steps, with water gushing everywhere from broken pipes. As the clock edged towards 9.59am, when the South Tower would crumble and fall, Dittmar and his friend finally climbed an escalator and rose above ground. You're now starting to walk down and you're wondering, 'What's going on?'". She was functioning, but through a fog that took more than a year to lift. If you wanted to picture what hell looked like, this was probably it, recalls then-NYPD Officer Ken Winkler. Marsh & McLennan Companies Chairman and CEO Jeff Greenberg knew something had gone terribly wrong in New York City that Tuesday morning. ", 'And they knew, they knew that they were going up those steps to fight a fire that they couldn't beat, knew that they were going up those steps to save lives that they couldn't save'. Since the right tip of the wing of the plane hit the tower above his floor, that part of the tower was on fire. Copyright 2023 Associated Press. There was no immediate evacuation order for the south tower. The way I can honor those we lost and those that were injured is to live a fruitful life. Help! [4], Once Clark had found Praimnath, the two men made their way to the stairwell, which Clark had already been told was blocked further down. "That simple decision to use the restroom - that two-and-a-half minute or so delay in his exiting - cost him his life that day," Dittmar said. News August 26, 2011, 2:35 PM Ron DiFrancesco, his wife Mary and their children Julia and. Instead he was direct into the basement of the building to exit there. [3] Then we rubbed our two hands together., After that, Brian put his arm around my shoulder, says Praimnath, and he told me, Cmon, buddy, lets go home. . He tried to make his way down but people from lower floors were coming up to escape the fire below. "I've been criticized for the orders I gave that day. Thats a steel structure. At times, he says, he thought of suicide. Above him, Flight 175 screamed into the South Tower, between floors 77 and 85. Distant voices, still lives, 08:00-09:35 . No. Heroic first responders New York City's police, firefighters and paramedics going up, began to pass Dittmar and others going down. Calmly, he told everyone they needed to evacuate. Now, he said, he needs pills to stay calm. Ron woke up in the hospital. Those in or above the point of impact in the South Tower weigh particularly heavily on George Tabeek, the Port Authority second in command for the World Trade Center's security. appeared almost certain as doomed to die, especially anyone fatefully trapped in the North Tower. Sept. 10, 2011— -- There are hundreds of stories from those who, one way or another, narrowly escaped death on 9/11. Her advice was to head to the roof, where she hoped a helicopter would rescue them. Nearly 180 Aon workers perished, including Berger. Before he could finish his sentence, the South Tower began collapsing. NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Tom Canavan was buried alive at the World Trade Center site when the twin towers collapsed 20 years ago on Sept. 11. Its something to be addressed., Guy Sanders poses for a portrait, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, in Branchville, S.C. Sanders, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., was an EMT who responded to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and was on the scene when 7 World Trade Center collapsed. Investigators later estimated about 17,400 tenants and visitors were in the twin towers at the time of the attack, which killed 2,977 people. In an Injury Epidemiology study last year, people like Wilson who sustained significant injuries on 9/11 were twice as likely to develop heart disease as people who didn't. Wilson's back injuries . There are hundreds, if not thousands, of unanswerable questions: Why me? Crown was one of them. Dittmar, then 44, was only in New York City to attend a business meeting on September 11, 2001. I got distracted by a banging noise inside the 81st floor, and I strained to listen to what I thought was a voice, he said. And it was for the next 10 seconds after that immediate impact that was the only 10 seconds of the day that I was afraid. [1] Some were left with life-changing physical injuries, while many still struggle with the mental torment caused by the events of that day. At that point no one knew what had hit the North Tower, or why. "There was a tremendous explosion there, a big fireball that engulfed that area and he would have been in it and the only way that anyone really could survive that is really be very lucky or have some kind of protection.".
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