Mario Vitale oral history interview conducted by Anthony Reffi, September 15, 2014

About

Mario worked in the World Trade Center since 1987 as a sub-contractor. His duties included maintenance, sheet rocking, framing rooms to new lease specifications, etc. On September 11th, Mario was at work on the 101st floor in the North Tower, outside the Cantor Fitzgerald offices. Mario broke the rules by taking the regular elevator rather than the service elevator down to the basement level that morning. This small act of defiance saved his life. If he had waited for the much slower service elevator, he would have been standing outside Cantor Fitzgerald in the direct path of the first plane that hit the tower. He heard a huge BOOM and the weights from the elevators were coming down the shaft. "It was like an earthquake." Hot steam bellowed out of the boilers, blocking the way out. He made his way up to the lobby when the second plane hit. The cops had to tell them which exit to use so they would not be injured by the falling bodies. Outside the ground was covered in debris, as well as human remains. Then he heard a crackling sound, and the building began collapsing. He started running, with a tsunami of debris and smoke coming at him. He dived into a large car to shield himself. The dust in Mario's hair was like cement. He went to a clinic because he couldn't blink, and was told his eyes were lacerated from debris. For a week he couldn't open them when he woke up without washing them with water. He suffered from survivor's guilt. He lost over 100 acquaintances and friends,…

Archive

Library of Congress, in Library of Congress

Licence or status

Rights statement at the Library of Congress, as the Library of Congress states it.

Credit

Library of Congress

Language

English

Country

United States

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