A CEO decided to drop off his son on his first day of kindergarten before office—the single decision saved his life on 9/11
A simple decision might prove to be life-changing in unexpected situations. One CEO who just went to drop his five-year-old off at kindergarten didn't know that his decision would save his life. Howard Lutnick, the CEO of financial trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, wanted to be with his son on his first day of kindergarten and was supposed to arrive at his workplace later than usual. Because of that one act, he ended up surviving the 9/11 attack that happened on the Twin Towers, where his firm was also located, per WRIC.
The CEO wanted to be with his son during his major milestone. Lutnick was clicking pictures of the moment and dropping his son off as the tragedy happened unbeknownst to him. His firm also dealt with the greatest loss that came out of the terror attack that killed 3,000 people that day. 658 employees, including his brother and his best friend, were present in the company's office on the 105th floor when the hijacked American Airlines 11 plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Unfortunately, there were no survivors from the company and Lutnick was crushed because of the disastrous situation. On top of that, his profitable firm had started incurring losses because of the attack.
However, he wanted to keep the company open, so he could help the families who lost their loved ones at the office. He promised the families monetary help, as well as, healthcare for the next decade. To keep his promise, the man enlisted help from employees at the other branches and kept the business going until it turned profitable again. Finally, he could share 25 percent of his profits with the affected families. The sum amounted to $180 million and was shared among all the grieving families.
"You gotta live, enjoy each and every day of your life," Lutnick expressed. The profits given to the families were paid over five years, per Spectrum News NY1. Many people who witnessed or survived the attack suffered from PTSD from the event over two decades after the incident, per NPR. "This disaster of 9/11 in New York City has had long-term impacts on both the responders and civilians," Mark Farfel, director of the World Trade Center Health Registry, revealed.
Quite a few others experienced life-saving moments like Lutnick on the day of the heartwrenching disaster. A businessman, Joseph Lott, who was about to attend a presentation meeting with his co-workers, was saved because of a gift from a colleague and friend, Elaine Myra, per The Atlantic. The man was wearing a pastel green shirt that day when Myra gave him a tie with the color scheme of Claude Monet's "Sunset at Lavacourt" during their breakfast meeting at the Marriott Hotel. He loved such ties and was ready to put it on then and there. But he went to change his shirt as the colors didn't match, while his colleagues went to the twin towers. By the time he reached the building, the attack had happened, and none of his co-workers survived the tragedy.