story6077.xml

story6077.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I WORKED AS A SENIOR CLAIM REPRESENTATIVE FOR CNA/RSKCO ON WALL STREET. ON 9/11/01, AT 6:30 A.M. I GOT OFF THE PATH TRAIN FROM NEW JERSEY INTO NEW YORK, WALKED THROUGH THE WORLD TRADE CNTER, WHICH IS MY USUAL ROUTE TO WALL STREET. I BEGAN MY DAY WITH THE USUAL CUP OF COFFEE, SUDDENLY A COUPLE OF MY CO-WORKERS, WHO WERE ON THEIR WAY TO WORK, CAME IN SHOCK FROM WHAT THEY HAVE SEEN. THEY EXPLAINED TO US THAT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER WAS STRUCK BY AN AIRPLANE. I SAID THERE IS NO WAY A PLANE COULD HIT THE WTC, UNLESS MAYBE IT STRUCK THE ANTENA ON TOP OF THE BUILDING. WHAT SEEMS LIKE A FEW MINUTES LATER, ANOTHER CO-WORKER CAME IN AND SAID THE WTC WAS STRUCK AGAIN BY YET ANOTHER PLANE. AT THIS POINT WE BEGAN FEELING SOMEWHAT NERVOUS. I CALLED MY HUSBAND AT WORK AND INFORMED HIM THAT, IF HEARS ABOUT A PLANE CRASH INTO THE THE WTC, HE SOULDN'T WORRY, I ARRIEVED AT WORK SAFELY AND WE WERE IN NO IMMEDIATE DANGER. AS WE LOOKED OUT OF THE OFFICE WINDOWS, WE SAW DEBRE FLYING ALLOVER, OFFICE PAPERS ETC. BY THIS TIME OUR OFFICE MANAGER CALLED US INTO THE CONFERENCE ROOM AND ADVISED US TO REMAIN IN THE BUILDING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. A SHORTLY AFTER WE LEFT THE CONFERENCE, WE HEARD ON THE NEWS AND FELT THE BUILDINGS FALL. I THEN KNEW THAT WE WERE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. WE WERE LATER TOLD TO VACATE THE DOWNTOWN AREA BY WALKING ACROSS THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE INTO BROOKLYN. I, WITH SOME OF MY CO-WORKERS STAYED AT A FRIEND'S HOME IN BROOKLYN UNTIL LATER THAT AFTERNOON, WHEN WE WERE TRANSPORTED ACROSS THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE TO MIDTOWN. WHERE WE TOOK VARIOUS TRANSPORTATION TO OUR HOMES. EARLIUER THAT DAY, WHEN THE FIRST PLANE HIT THE WTC, A FRIEND OF A CO-WORKER OF OURS, VACATED HIS OFFICE BUILDING, WHICH IS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEFORE THE WTC. HE AND OUR CO-WORKER LEFT TO FIND A WAY HOME OUT OF NEW YORK, WHEN THEY WALKED OUTSIDE OF OUR BUILDING, THE WTC BUILDINGS FELL AND THEY WERE SEPARATED, MEANWHILE, OUR WO-WORKER RETURNED TO OUR OFFICE COVERED IN UNBELIEVABLE SUIT LIKE DEBRE. HE TOLD US HE AND HIS FIREND WERE SEPARATED WHEN THE BUILDING FELL. THE NEXT DAY, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL THAT OUR CO-WORKER HAD NOT SEEN OR HEARD FROM HIS FRIEND. I ASSUMED, MAYBE WE WAS INJURED AND MAYBE IN ONE OF THE MANY HOSPITALS WHERE VICTIMS WERE TAKEN. 9/11 WAS ON TUESDAY, BY THURSDAY, OUR CO-WORKER'S FRIEND WAS FOUND DEAD, HE WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE BY DEBRE WHEN THE BUILDINGS FELL. SIX MONTHS LATER, OUR CO-WORKER, OVERCOME BY GRIEF AND DEPRESSION OVER LOSING HIS FRIEND, TOOK HIS LIFE. THIS WAS AND STILL IS A SHOCK TO MANY IN OUR OFFICE. I AM STILL TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE OCCURENCE, SINCE THIS CO-WORKER WAS GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. YESTERDAY WAS DEFINATELY A DAY OF REMEMBERANCE, BUT ALSO A DAY OF GREAT SADNESS.