One of the accounts that I found most haunting was from a doctor who was at the scene. I have looked for it since then, but have been unable to find it, so I am going off of memory. One woman who jumped was still alive when she landed, and she told the doctor that she had made it, and was smiling. The doctor reassured her, knowing that she was moments from death, her body broken. The doctor didn’t elaborate more than that, other than to say that her injuries were well beyond repair, but for some reason that account captured the futility of both the people that were trapped in the building, and the futility of those trying to save them.
I’m not aware of the account you mentioned, but I recorded video for several days from the initial impact. Much of that video was later censored by the powers to be and can no longer be found. I, however, still have it all. Some of the scenes actually showed the jumpers at they hit and with body parts spewn about. One that is stuck in my mind was a hand with a small portion of the forearm still attached. It is so sad and really unbelievable. God bless everyone who lost their lives that day and their families.
Whatever you do, never ask a firefighter to describe some of the worse things they have ever encountered. You will never forget them.
“One woman who jumped was still alive when she landed, and she told the doctor that she had made it, and was smiling.”
Another view - it shows the hope and determination of the human spirit. God Bless all of the victims and survivors. The dead are gone, and at peace. That poor doctor, husband, children, etc. of the woman - they probably think about her every day still.
"....I ran towards them, my triage tags in hand. There was a man having a seizure and his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. He had struck the pavement so hard that there was virturally nothing else left of him. There were a couple others that I never got to, but I could see from a short distance that they were dead. And then there was the lady with the nice hairdo and earrings.
When I got to her, I ripped out a black tag. What impressed me - and scared me - was that she was alert and was watching what I was doing. I put the tag around her neck and she looked at me and said, "I am not dead. Call my daughter. I am not dead." I was so startled that for a split second I was speechless. "Ma'am," I said. "don't worry about it, We will be right back for you." That was a lie. She couldn't see what I could see. Somehow, I guess it was an air draft or something, her fall had been cushioned enough so that she didn't splatter like the others. Still her body was so twisted and torn apart that I could only ask myself, Why is this lady still alive and talking to me? How can this be? Her right lung, shoulder and head were intacted, but from the diaphragm down she was unrecognizable. Yet she was lucid enough that she continued to argue with me."I am not dead," she insisted again.
....but another wave of casualties arrived in the lobby from upstairs, so I needed to return. As I headed back, I stepped over the lady one more time. And as eerie and unsettling as our first encounter had been, the second was even worse. She yelled at me.
"I am not dead! I am not dead!"
"They're coming, they're coming." I replied without stopping.
"I am not dead! I am not dead!"
All due respect but I find this account hard to believe. Falling at over 120 miles an hour from 1,500 feet to a concrete pavement and all that is left of a human body is a large red spot(may God have mercy on their souls). I worked across the Trade Center for years. Trust me , had you ever seen those towers you’d know such a thing as described would have been impossible.
I retract my original post to you. I saw the story you mentioned. Good God, how horrifyingly amazing. And Sad.
I retract my original post to you. I saw the story you mentioned. Good God, how horrifyingly amazing. And Sad.