Knowledge (XXG)

Brian Clark (September 11 survivor)

Source 📝

164:
floor caught Clark's attention. While his group continued to debate what to do, Clark grabbed coworker Ron DiFrancesco and entered the 81st floor to look for the person screaming for help. As Clark and DiFrancesco entered the floor, Clark turned around to observe his coworkers as they started to go up the stairs to the roof instead of down. That group would all lose their lives that day, as access doors to the roof were locked, and there were no plans for helicopter rescues from the roof, as the
217:
two blocks away, Praimnath told him he thought the buildings were going to go down. Clark was skeptical, repeating how solidly built the towers were, but he did not finish his sentence before the South Tower (Tower Two) started to collapse. Clark and Praimnath had left the South Tower just three minutes before it collapsed; they were two of the last 25 people to exit the building; Clark was number 22. Only two other people exited the South Tower after Clark and Praimnath.
303: 212:
call was understood. This call might have been the only chance for rescue workers to learn that there was a clear stairwell that the several hundred people trapped above the impact could try to use to escape. Clark described how he and Praimnath did not feel a sense of urgency, and before calling 911
192:
Praimnath was unsure he would be able to get over the wall but tried due to Clark's urging. Praimnath made several unsuccessful attempts to climb the wall, on one occasion injuring his hand, but he persisted, and on another attempt Clark was able to hook his arms around Praimnath and help pull him to
183:
Praimnath had initially evacuated the building after the first plane had hit the North Tower but went back inside as South Tower security gave clearance to reenter the building. Once he had arrived back at his office on the 81st floor, he was on the phone when he noticed the second plane coming right
216:
At 9:55 am, they got to the ground floor where there were rescue workers. One advised them to run once they exited onto Liberty Street, at the southeast corner of the complex. At 9:56 am, Clark and Praimnath ran out of the World Trade Center complex. Clark described how, when they had gotten about
171:
As Clark and DiFrancesco made their way to the voice screaming for help, DiFrancesco became overcome with smoke and returned to the stairs, which he would also ascend. Unlike the rest of his coworkers who went up the stairs, however, DiFrancesco reversed course and survived. Clark made his way to
159:
After Flight 175 struck the South Tower between floors 77 and 85, Clark and eight other employees of his floor who had survived the impact gathered together and started to descend Stairwell A. They only made it to the 81st floor when Clark and his group were met by a woman and a man coming up the
229:
Sixty-one of Clark's co-workers were killed in the attack. Clark was later appointed by his company's management to be President of the Euro Brokers Relief Fund, created to help take financial care of the families of those who were lost. He retired in 2006, a year after Euro Brokers merged with
163:
Clark and his coworkers stopped and debated on the stairwell landing about what to do next; whether to listen to the woman and go up the stairs or to ignore her warnings and go down the stairs. As the group stood there debating their next move, a faint scream for help coming from inside the 81st
755:
Meanwhile, Brian Clark had just made it as far as the stairwell outside the 81st floor where he heard Stanley's cries for help. In spite of his vulnerability to dust and smoke because of his asthma and allergies, the broker entered that floor and went to work to free the man trapped in the
225:
Praimnath thanked Clark for saving his life. Clark, in turn, also thanked Praimnath since he felt that the act of leaving his group and freeing Praimnath drew him out of a debate that might have ended with his joining the others who went up to their deaths. His Euro Brokers colleague, Ron
226:
DiFrancesco, who had initially turned around because of the smoke, mustered the strength to resume the descent and was the last person to escape the South Tower before its collapse; he awoke several days later in a hospital, suffering from extensive burns and a head laceration.
188:
had sliced through his office and become lodged in a door only 20 feet (6 m) from him. When Clark found Praimnath, there was a wall standing between the two, and the only way for Praimnath to escape was to jump up and go over the wall.
317: 715:
Other ordinary citizens simply rose to the occasion. Brian Clark, a vice-president for a brokerage firm, heard someone call for help as he struggled down the stairway and found Stanley Praimnath trapped behind a pile of heavy
1177: 184:
at him. He screamed and jumped under his desk as the plane was hitting the building. After the impact, Praimnath found himself alive under his desk with only minor injuries; the left wing of
138:
Clark was one of only 18 people in the South Tower to escape from within or above the impact zone where the plane struck, escaping from his office on floor 84. Clark's testimony before the
160:
stairs. The woman blocked their paths and warned them there were flames and smoke further down, and their only option was to try and go up to the roof in hope of being rescued from there.
1389: 494: 1185: 1374: 1384: 1364: 230:
another company. Since his retirement, he has been volunteering with various non-profit organisations, including serving on the board and as treasurer of the
1116: 201:
Clark and Praimnath's descent through the floors of the impact was impeded by some debris and smoke, but by moving the debris, they made it passable.
1048: 583: 1281: 1093: 963: 1158: 364: 1325: 1379: 789: 742: 702: 662: 1369: 124: 231: 1120: 855: 290:. It focused on his perspective that an unseen force convinced him to select the only one of three stairwells which were usable. 557:"The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Report)" 208:
offices on the 31st floor. Clark was on the telephone for over three minutes and talked to three different people before his
894:
2014–15 NBTS Catalog – New Brunswick Theological Seminary www.nbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2014-15-NBTS-Catalog-1.pdf
502: 1394: 626: 1306: 272: 410:"9/11 Calls Reveal Confusion: Dispatchers on Recordings Seem Unsure How to Instruct People Stranded in Twin Towers" 344: 185: 76: 1286: 1139: 777: 414: 277: 926: 729: 688: 648: 1291: 1124: 814: 654: 17: 1359: 1238: 1181: 1056: 591: 1201: 973: 466: 383:"Raw emotion marks 9/11 commission hearing: Police, fire chiefs grilled by panelists, booed by families" 245: 72: 1101: 1072: 1162: 1354: 1224: 1205: 368: 128: 112: 1329: 1262: 881: 989: 131:. Clark worked for the American international brokerage firm Euro Brokers Inc. (later merged into 1247: 1220: 968: 912: 441: 781: 785: 738: 698: 658: 532: 268: 177: 1242: 1028: 1009: 734: 523:
Paltrow, Scot J.; Journal, Queena Sook Kim Staff Reporters of The Wall Street (2001-10-23).
498: 308: 205: 1143: 877: 139: 27:
Canadian businessman and survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11
409: 770: 349: 286: 1348: 524: 437: 832: 556: 959: 684: 471: 254: 168:
deemed it too unsafe to attempt due to dense clouds of smoke and rooftop antennas.
132: 772:
Deep survival: who lives, who dies, and why : true stories of miraculous ...
123:(born July 4, 1947) is a Canadian businessman and survivor of the attacks on the 859: 650:
Reality, truth and evil: facts, questions and perspectives on September 11, 2001
618: 904: 731:
A Life That Matters: Making the Greatest Possible Difference with the Rest ...
298: 135:), which lost 61 employees that day, nearly one-fifth of its New York branch. 1310: 536: 1077: 994: 694: 318:
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
173: 180:, who was pinned underneath some debris behind a wall that had stood firm. 1052: 622: 587: 387: 382: 1094:"An improbable escape: Two men defy odds and find a way out of the WTC" 525:"Could Helicopters Have Saved People From the Top of the Trade Center?" 60: 56: 856:"Final survivor of south tower collapse struggles with scars of 9/11" 1243:"Surprising and Important Ways New York Was Unprepared for Disaster" 934: 1159:"Canadian survived attacks with help of instinct and a flashlight" 209: 143: 165: 365:"Canadian survived 9/11 attacks thanks to instinct, flashlight" 1266: 1097: 1032: 1013: 563:. U.S. Government Printing Office. 22 July 2004. p. 279 284:
In 2020, his story was included in Episode 1 of Season 2 of
243:
Clark's and others' stories were told on the BBC docudrama
1178:"Complete 911 Timeline: World Trade Center Investigation" 878:"The Encyclopedia of 9/11: Stairwell A: The only way out" 613: 611: 609: 1117:"Brian Clark's story: A high rise disaster survivor" 107: 99: 91: 83: 75:, B.Ap.Sc., industrial engineering, M.B.A. (1971), 68: 39: 32: 964:"'Teflon man' moves on and finds new joys in life" 769: 833:"9/11 stories: Stanley Praimnath and Brian Clark" 442:"Sept. 11 Panel Focuses on Confusion in New York" 871: 869: 260:His story is also chronicled on the documentary 1073:"Families created Tribute Center out of love" 367:. CBC News. 11 September 2006. Archived from 8: 990:"Four survived by ignoring words of advice" 690:The social psychology of prosocial behavior 495:"9/11 Commission Cites Communication Flaws" 271:, his story was once again featured in the 18:Brian Clark (September 11 attacks survivor) 647:Thomas Meyer, José García Morales (2005). 467:"Distant voices, still lives, 08:00–09:35" 29: 1390:Canadian expatriates in the United States 1161:. CBC. September 11, 2006. Archived from 1202:"Witnesses to Terror: The 9/11 Hearings" 1029:"Four Above WTC Crash Zone Tell Stories" 213:they each made one brief personal call. 345:"Euro Brokers team quits for Tradition" 335: 582:Lopes, Christina (September 6, 2002). 142:, where he detailed problems with the 1375:Survivors of the September 11 attacks 1047:Christina Lopes (September 6, 2002). 854:Torrey AndersonSchoepe (2011-08-26). 493:Michael Weissenstein (May 18, 2004). 7: 1385:20th-century Canadian businesspeople 1365:21st-century Canadian businesspeople 1290:. September 10, 2006. Archived from 1263:"The Fall of the World Trade Center" 988:Dennis Cauchon (December 19, 2001). 1071:Olivia Barker (September 9, 2006). 343:de Terán, Natasha (June 13, 2005). 1123:. October 24, 2001. Archived from 1092:Michael Okwu (September 9, 2002). 232:New Brunswick Theological Seminary 25: 876:Robert Kolker (August 27, 2011). 1200:Deborah Amos, Catherine Winter. 915:from the original on 2021-12-22. 301: 815:"Accounts From the South Tower" 629:from the original on 2011-03-09 1: 1307:"NOTES: 9 Heroism and Horror" 465:York, New (August 18, 2002). 1380:University of Toronto alumni 1221:"The Response on the Ground" 1144:"Interview with Brian Clark" 1010:"9/11: What Really Happened" 1370:Businesspeople from Toronto 273:National Geographic Channel 204:The phones were working in 155:Rescue of Stanley Praimnath 1411: 778:W. W. Norton & Company 768:Laurence Gonzales (2003). 186:United Airlines Flight 175 146:, has been widely quoted. 77:Thornhill Secondary School 1287:Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 144:911 emergency call system 905:"Inside the Twin Towers" 278:9/11: One Day in America 927:"United by 9/11 (2006)" 835:. BBC. 5 September 2011 728:Ron Hutchcraft (2007). 655:Temple Lodge Publishing 1049:"A miraculous descent" 933:. 2006. Archived from 584:"A miraculous descent" 253:). Clark is played by 251:Inside the Twin Towers 446:All Things Considered 246:9/11: The Twin Towers 73:University of Toronto 1395:September 11 attacks 1225:American Radio Works 1206:American Radio Works 1182:Cooperative Research 1016:. September 11, 2002 657:. pp. 118–119. 619:"A Survivor's Story" 371:on 24 December 2011. 113:September 11 attacks 1294:on January 31, 2013 1035:. September 7, 2002 529:Wall Street Journal 1248:The New York Times 1219:Catherine Winter. 1104:on August 27, 2007 969:The Globe and Mail 962:(March 13, 2002). 819:The New York Times 238:In popular culture 150:September 11, 2001 129:September 11, 2001 125:World Trade Center 1059:on August 9, 2007 791:978-0-393-05276-3 744:978-0-8024-3649-8 704:978-0-8058-4935-6 664:978-1-902636-66-5 594:on August 9, 2007 269:Stanley Praimnath 178:Stanley Praimnath 118: 117: 92:Years active 16:(Redirected from 1402: 1340: 1338: 1337: 1328:. Archived from 1321: 1319: 1318: 1309:. Archived from 1302: 1300: 1299: 1277: 1275: 1274: 1258: 1256: 1255: 1241:(May 19, 2004). 1234: 1232: 1231: 1215: 1213: 1212: 1196: 1194: 1193: 1184:. Archived from 1173: 1171: 1170: 1154: 1152: 1151: 1135: 1133: 1132: 1112: 1110: 1109: 1100:. Archived from 1088: 1086: 1085: 1067: 1065: 1064: 1055:. Archived from 1043: 1041: 1040: 1024: 1022: 1021: 1005: 1003: 1002: 984: 982: 981: 972:. Archived from 946: 945: 943: 942: 923: 917: 916: 901: 895: 892: 886: 885: 873: 864: 863: 851: 845: 844: 842: 840: 829: 823: 822: 811: 805: 804: 799: 798: 775: 765: 759: 758: 752: 751: 735:Moody Publishers 725: 719: 718: 712: 711: 681: 675: 674: 672: 671: 644: 638: 637: 635: 634: 615: 604: 603: 601: 599: 590:. Archived from 579: 573: 572: 570: 568: 553: 547: 546: 544: 543: 520: 514: 513: 511: 510: 505:on July 16, 2007 501:. Archived from 499:Associated Press 490: 484: 483: 481: 480: 462: 456: 455: 453: 452: 440:(May 18, 2004). 433: 427: 426: 424: 423: 406: 400: 399: 397: 396: 379: 373: 372: 361: 355: 354: 340: 311: 309:Biography portal 306: 305: 304: 193:the other side. 111:Survivor of the 53: 49: 47: 30: 21: 1410: 1409: 1405: 1404: 1403: 1401: 1400: 1399: 1345: 1344: 1343: 1335: 1333: 1324: 1316: 1314: 1305: 1297: 1295: 1282:"Inferno Below" 1280: 1272: 1270: 1269:. March 7, 2002 1261: 1253: 1251: 1237: 1229: 1227: 1218: 1210: 1208: 1199: 1191: 1189: 1176: 1168: 1166: 1157: 1149: 1147: 1138: 1130: 1128: 1115: 1107: 1105: 1091: 1083: 1081: 1070: 1062: 1060: 1046: 1038: 1036: 1027: 1019: 1017: 1008: 1000: 998: 987: 979: 977: 958: 952:Further reading 949: 940: 938: 925: 924: 920: 903: 902: 898: 893: 889: 875: 874: 867: 853: 852: 848: 838: 836: 831: 830: 826: 821:. May 26, 2002. 813: 812: 808: 796: 794: 792: 767: 766: 762: 749: 747: 745: 727: 726: 722: 709: 707: 705: 685:John F. Dovidio 683: 682: 678: 669: 667: 665: 646: 645: 641: 632: 630: 617: 616: 607: 597: 595: 581: 580: 576: 566: 564: 555: 554: 550: 541: 539: 522: 521: 517: 508: 506: 492: 491: 487: 478: 476: 464: 463: 459: 450: 448: 435: 434: 430: 421: 419: 418:. April 1, 2006 408: 407: 403: 394: 392: 381: 380: 376: 363: 362: 358: 342: 341: 337: 328: 307: 302: 300: 297: 240: 234:in New Jersey. 223: 199: 157: 152: 140:9/11 Commission 69:Alma mater 64: 54: 51: 45: 43: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1408: 1406: 1398: 1397: 1392: 1387: 1382: 1377: 1372: 1367: 1362: 1357: 1347: 1346: 1342: 1341: 1322: 1303: 1278: 1259: 1235: 1216: 1197: 1174: 1155: 1136: 1113: 1089: 1068: 1044: 1025: 1006: 985: 955: 948: 947: 918: 896: 887: 865: 846: 824: 806: 790: 760: 743: 737:. p. 55. 720: 703: 676: 663: 639: 605: 574: 548: 515: 485: 457: 428: 401: 391:. May 18, 2004 374: 356: 350:Financial News 334: 327: 324: 323: 322: 313: 312: 296: 293: 292: 291: 287:The UnXplained 282: 267:Together with 265: 262:United by 9/11 258: 249:(2006, a.k.a. 239: 236: 222: 219: 198: 195: 156: 153: 151: 148: 116: 115: 109: 108:Known for 105: 104: 101: 97: 96: 93: 89: 88: 85: 81: 80: 70: 66: 65: 55: 41: 37: 36: 33: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1407: 1396: 1393: 1391: 1388: 1386: 1383: 1381: 1378: 1376: 1373: 1371: 1368: 1366: 1363: 1361: 1360:Living people 1358: 1356: 1353: 1352: 1350: 1332:on 2007-05-28 1331: 1327: 1323: 1313:on 2007-09-27 1312: 1308: 1304: 1293: 1289: 1288: 1283: 1279: 1268: 1264: 1260: 1250: 1249: 1244: 1240: 1236: 1226: 1222: 1217: 1207: 1203: 1198: 1188:on 2006-04-26 1187: 1183: 1179: 1175: 1165:on 2011-12-24 1164: 1160: 1156: 1145: 1141: 1137: 1127:on 2007-04-12 1126: 1122: 1118: 1114: 1103: 1099: 1095: 1090: 1080: 1079: 1074: 1069: 1058: 1054: 1050: 1045: 1034: 1030: 1026: 1015: 1011: 1007: 997: 996: 991: 986: 976:on 2007-03-05 975: 971: 970: 965: 961: 957: 956: 954: 953: 937:on 2014-09-12 936: 932: 928: 922: 919: 914: 910: 906: 900: 897: 891: 888: 883: 879: 872: 870: 866: 861: 857: 850: 847: 834: 828: 825: 820: 816: 810: 807: 803: 793: 787: 783: 779: 774: 773: 764: 761: 757: 746: 740: 736: 733: 732: 724: 721: 717: 706: 700: 697:. p. 1. 696: 692: 691: 686: 680: 677: 666: 660: 656: 652: 651: 643: 640: 628: 624: 620: 614: 612: 610: 606: 593: 589: 585: 578: 575: 562: 558: 552: 549: 538: 534: 530: 526: 519: 516: 504: 500: 496: 489: 486: 474: 473: 468: 461: 458: 447: 443: 439: 438:Melissa Block 436:Pam Fessler, 432: 429: 417: 416: 411: 405: 402: 390: 389: 384: 378: 375: 370: 366: 360: 357: 352: 351: 346: 339: 336: 333: 332: 325: 320: 319: 315: 314: 310: 299: 294: 289: 288: 283: 280: 279: 274: 270: 266: 263: 259: 256: 252: 248: 247: 242: 241: 237: 235: 233: 227: 220: 218: 214: 211: 207: 206:Oppenheimer's 202: 196: 194: 190: 187: 181: 179: 175: 169: 167: 161: 154: 149: 147: 145: 141: 136: 134: 130: 126: 122: 114: 110: 106: 102: 98: 94: 90: 86: 82: 78: 74: 71: 67: 62: 58: 52:(age 77) 42: 38: 31: 19: 1334:. Retrieved 1330:the original 1315:. Retrieved 1311:the original 1296:. Retrieved 1292:the original 1285: 1271:. Retrieved 1252:. Retrieved 1246: 1228:. Retrieved 1209:. Retrieved 1190:. Retrieved 1186:the original 1167:. Retrieved 1163:the original 1148:. Retrieved 1140:Alison Smith 1129:. Retrieved 1125:the original 1106:. Retrieved 1102:the original 1082:. Retrieved 1076: 1061:. Retrieved 1057:the original 1037:. Retrieved 1018:. Retrieved 999:. Retrieved 993: 978:. Retrieved 974:the original 967: 960:Peter Cheney 951: 950: 939:. Retrieved 935:the original 930: 921: 908: 899: 890: 849: 837:. Retrieved 827: 818: 809: 802:Brian Clark. 801: 795:. Retrieved 771: 763: 754: 748:. Retrieved 730: 723: 714: 708:. Retrieved 689: 679: 668:. Retrieved 649: 642: 631:. Retrieved 596:. Retrieved 592:the original 577: 565:. Retrieved 560: 551: 540:. Retrieved 528: 518: 507:. Retrieved 503:the original 488: 477:. Retrieved 472:The Guardian 470: 460: 449:. Retrieved 445: 431: 420:. Retrieved 413: 404: 393:. Retrieved 386: 377: 369:the original 359: 348: 338: 330: 329: 316: 285: 276: 275:documentary 261: 255:Robert Jezek 250: 244: 228: 224: 215: 203: 200: 191: 182: 170: 162: 158: 137: 133:BGC Partners 120: 119: 103:Euro Brokers 50:July 4, 1947 1355:1947 births 860:Yahoo! News 839:3 September 780:. pp.  561:GovInfo.gov 321:(2005 book) 121:Brian Clark 87:Businessman 34:Brian Clark 1349:Categories 1336:2007-08-05 1317:2007-08-05 1298:2011-04-06 1273:2007-08-05 1254:2007-08-05 1230:2007-08-05 1211:2007-08-05 1192:2007-08-05 1169:2021-09-11 1150:2007-08-05 1131:2007-08-05 1108:2007-08-05 1084:2007-08-05 1063:2007-08-05 1039:2007-08-05 1020:2007-08-05 1001:2007-08-05 980:2007-08-05 941:2014-09-11 797:2011-04-01 750:2011-04-01 710:2011-04-01 670:2011-04-01 633:2007-08-05 542:2016-07-14 509:2007-08-05 479:2007-08-05 451:2007-08-05 422:2007-08-05 395:2007-08-05 326:References 84:Occupation 46:1947-07-04 1239:Jim Dwyer 1078:USA Today 995:USA Today 695:Routledge 598:August 5, 537:0099-9660 221:Aftermath 176:employee 174:Fuji Bank 95:1973–2006 1053:CTV News 913:Archived 911:. 2006. 882:New York 687:(2006). 627:Archived 623:PBS Nova 588:CTV News 475:. London 415:ABC News 388:NBC News 295:See also 100:Employer 63:, Canada 909:Youtube 784:, 172. 756:rubble. 716:debris. 567:30 June 281:(2021). 264:(2006). 197:Descent 61:Ontario 57:Toronto 1326:"Zero" 788:  741:  701:  661:  535:  79:(1965) 1146:. CBC 331:Notes 172:find 931:Hulu 841:2015 786:ISBN 739:ISBN 699:ISBN 659:ISBN 600:2007 569:2023 533:ISSN 166:NYPD 40:Born 1267:BBC 1121:CBC 1098:CNN 1033:CNN 1014:CNN 210:911 127:on 1351:: 1284:. 1265:. 1245:. 1223:. 1204:. 1180:. 1142:. 1119:. 1096:. 1075:. 1051:. 1031:. 1012:. 992:. 966:. 929:. 907:. 880:. 868:^ 858:. 817:. 800:. 782:76 776:. 753:. 713:. 693:. 653:. 625:. 621:. 608:^ 586:. 559:. 531:. 527:. 497:. 469:. 444:. 412:. 385:. 347:. 59:, 48:) 1339:. 1320:. 1301:. 1276:. 1257:. 1233:. 1214:. 1195:. 1172:. 1153:. 1134:. 1111:. 1087:. 1066:. 1042:. 1023:. 1004:. 983:. 944:. 884:. 862:. 843:. 673:. 636:. 602:. 571:. 545:. 512:. 482:. 454:. 425:. 398:. 353:. 257:. 44:( 20:)

Index

Brian Clark (September 11 attacks survivor)
Toronto
Ontario
University of Toronto
Thornhill Secondary School
September 11 attacks
World Trade Center
September 11, 2001
BGC Partners
9/11 Commission
911 emergency call system
NYPD
Fuji Bank
Stanley Praimnath
United Airlines Flight 175
Oppenheimer's
911
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
9/11: The Twin Towers
Robert Jezek
Stanley Praimnath
National Geographic Channel
9/11: One Day in America
The UnXplained
Biography portal
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers
"Euro Brokers team quits for Tradition"
Financial News
"Canadian survived 9/11 attacks thanks to instinct, flashlight"
the original

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.