Heartbreaking stories from 9/11 survivors

• 9/11 survivors who escaped from the Twin Towers.
• Joseph Dittmar descended 105 flights.
• Ron DiFrancesco was guided by a ‘presence’.

A very important detail is often overlooked when remembering the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers.

Tragically, nearly 3,000 people were killed, and thousands were injured, in the terrorist attack.

However, there are also thousands of people who survived for various reasons. Could it be that destiny did not want them to die that day?

Several people have described how, despite the risks involved, they decided to escape down the stairs of the World Trade Center.

Joseph Dittmar’s Story: Descending the stairs to save his life

As incredible as it may seem, Joseph Dittmar descended 105 floors down the stairs of the South Tower of the World Trade Center to save his life on September 11, 2001.

He witnessed everything that happened in the North Tower through a window on the 90th floor. It was time to make a decision.

«They were the worst 30 or 40 seconds of my life. We saw furniture, papers, people falling into the void, terrifying, terrible things. I was so scared.»

Joseph acknowledges that descending the stairs was the best decision he could have made because in cases like this, it’s better to avoid the elevator.

Chilling experience: The staircase was swaying

In another part of his account, Joseph mentioned that between the 74th and 75th floors, the staircase shaft began to sway violently.

«The handrails came off the wall, the steps undulated beneath our feet like waves in an ocean, we felt a wall of heat, we smelled fuel.»

After enduring this ordeal, he managed to reach the ground floor with a co-worker. They crossed the underground mall and made it to street level.

It didn’t take long for the South Tower to collapse. To this day, he says he still hears the screams of the people.

Ron DiFrancesco was guided by a voice

Another person who survived the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers by descending the stairs is Ron DiFrancesco.

The Canadian, who worked as a broker on the 84th floor of the South Tower, remembers that after the first impact, he began to descend the stairs.

He says that he was guided by ‘a presence,’ which indicated the route he should take to escape.

‘The voice’ told him what to do, and he followed it until he reached the 70th floor, where he was no longer in as much danger as on the higher floors.

Brian Clark and his brave decision

Meanwhile, Canadian businessman Brian Clark also saved his own life by deciding to take the stairs.

In an interview with The Associated Press ten years after the incident, he said that his office was shaken and destroyed in a split second after the impact.

«And it was during the next 10 seconds after that immediate impact, those were the only 10 seconds of the day that I was scared,» he revealed.

Of the three staircases in front of him, he chose Staircase A. Fortunately, it was the only one that had not been destroyed.

Stanley Praimnath’s heroic rescue

While debating with his colleagues about what to do — whether to keep going down or go up to the roof — Brian heard noises on the 81st floor, according to the Independent.

It was Stanley Praimnath, who had been trapped under the rubble. Brian helped him get out.

While his colleagues had decided to go up, Brian and Stanley continued descending 80 floors to the building’s ground floor.

When they reached the street, a firefighter told them to keep running as debris was falling. They managed to survive.