WCBS 880 9/11 Series: Brian Clark Escaped The Twin Towers From Above The Impact Line
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - Whether you lived or died on 9/11 depended on where you were in the Twin Towers.
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"There were four people who were able to get out of the buildings from above impact," said Brian Clark, who was the vice president at Euro Brokers.
Clark was on the 84th floor of Two World Trade Center and he was one of those to survive.
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Clark, who was a fire marshal, headed to the stairwell closest to his desk.
"I can't explain it, but there was like this push on my right shoulder that steered me around to the left and there was nobody there. It was just a very strange feeling and around I went to the left and entered stairway A," he said.
It was his first right move. His second came three floors below.
"Down we went to just three floors, to the 81st floor. We were confronted by a heavy-set woman coming up from below, and she just insisted that we go higher, to get fresh air. 'There's flames and smoke down below,'" he told WCBS 880 reporter Marla Diamond. "I have this very clear image of my friends and the strange woman and her traveling companion, all of them, starting up the stairs and they all died that day."
But Clark heard a voice.
"They were sort of saying, 'Help! Help! I'm buried! I can't breathe. Is anyone there!,'" Clark said.
The voice was that of Stanley Praimnath.
"Finally, when I got to him, and the light sort of went on in his eyes, he said, 'Hallelujah, I've been saved!,'" said Clark.
A week later, a co-worker came to Clark in a dream.
"This feeling suddenly swept over me that Jose is fine, my co-workers are fine, and any doubts I had about my faith just evaporated," Clark said.
In the decade since, Clark and Praimnath, who is now a pastor, have spent countless hours telling their tale of survival to churches, schools, businesses, and charity groups.
"It's a small, small, price to pay for being alive. I'm just grateful. Boy it's sorta easy to do, and I'm happy to do it," said Clark.
Did 9/11 have a profound effect on your faith? Share your story in the comments section below.
