Inside the Harrowing Escape of 9/11 Survivor Michael Hingson and His Guide Dog, Roselle

Panic amid Hingson’s group set in again close to the 50th floor. Frank stopped, telling everyone they were all going to die. Hingson snapped back, “Stop it, David. If Roselle and I can get down these stairs, so can you.”

After that, the pair helped keep everyone else calm, as they completely trusted each other at that point. And Hingson’s encouraging words to Roselle as they descended each flight of stairs resonated with everyone.

Finally, the group reached the main lobby. However, officials instructed crowds not to leave because dangerous debris — including dead bodies — was still raining down onto the street. So Hingson and the others headed into the central complex and found another exit to walk out.

Fleeing The Collapse Of The Twin Towers It wasn’t until they were outside that the group realized the extent of the damage caused to the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. Frank saw fire in the South Tower, as well as the North. He stopped to take a picture at Vesey Street and Broadway, just a block north of the World Trade Center.

Then, Hingson heard it. A rumble he described as resembling both a “freight train and a waterfall.” At that time, the South Tower was collapsing. Everyone turned on their heels and ran. Hingson had to rely on Roselle to lead him through the pandemonium. “The dirt and debris was so thick, I could feel it going down my throat and into my lungs,” Hingson said.

All of a sudden, Roselle stopped. Guide dogs are trained to do this when they are presented with an unsafe condition. Michael Hingson reached out. He felt a rail and realized that Roselle had led him to the top of a flight of stairs. It was a subway station, and upon entering it, Hingson was able to catch his breath with the cleaner air that was down below.

The North Tower toppled just 10 minutes after Hingson and Roselle emerged from the subway station, leaving massive clouds of dust and debris behind. “Oh my god, Mike. There’s no World Trade Center anymore,” Frank said to Hingson. “All I see are pillars of smoke hundreds of feet tall.”

Michael Hingson’s Life After 9/11 Immediately upon returning to his New Jersey home that fateful day, Hingson removed Roselle’s harness. Instead of collapsing on the floor in a puddle of anxiety, she grabbed her favorite toy and wanted to play. Roselle took her job very seriously — but now, the workday was over.

Following the tragic events of the 9/11 attacks, the uplifting story of how Hingson and Roselle escaped the World Trade Center began to spread. They made the talk show circuit and appeared on radio shows. Continue reading…