USU prof talks about NYC tragedy
John Carman, professor of soils, plants, and biometeorology, left the World Trade Center minutes before the first attack.
“I have no explanation for it, I am just glad to be alive,” Carman said.
Carman said he was staying at the World Trade Center Marriott Hotel while he was attending two business meetings. His first meeting was at 9 a.m., which was unusual because they usually didn’t schedule meetings until after 9:30 a.m.
He said he finished breakfast at the Marriott Greenhouse restaurant at 8:37 a.m. and caught a cab at 8:44 a.m., just three minutes before the first attack.
Carman said he was two blocks away when he heard what he though was construction.
“I looked out the back window of the cab and saw the gaping holes in the north tower,” he said.
He thought it was a bomb and had no idea there was a plane involved, he said.
On the way to his meeting in midtown Manhattan he heard on the radio of the second attack.
He went to his meeting and an hour later he received a call from friends at Utah State University to see if he was alright.
He said he then wanted to drop in to see a friend in midtown Manhattan and didn’t quite make it because he was evacuated from the building.
“Things were really strange in New York City. People were really uptight and in such a panic,” Carman said.
He ran down the street with approximately 300 frantic people, he said.
“People were really spooked and there were rumors everywhere of further attacks,” he said.
“Everyone has been affected. I lost my luggage in the collapse. All that is replaceable. Lives certainly are not,” he said.