UT provost owns apartment in NY building hit by plane
10/12/2006When a plane containing New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle struck an apartment building in Manhattan s Upper East Side, Jeffrey Gold, provost and executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Toledo, became worried.
Dr. Gold s family lives in the 42-story building. His wife, a doctor, was operating when the plane hit. His daughter was in school. His son was in the apartment.
"In the midst of smoke and flying debris he ran down the stairs and got away from the building as plane parts and building structure rained down," Dr. Gold wrote in an e-mail.
Mr. Lidle and his flight instructor died in the crash. About ten people were hospitalized, Dr. Gold wrote.
The building remains closed, although the New York City Police Department let the Gold family walk up 35 floors to retrieve their cat. They are currently staying in New Jersey.
Dr. Gold, a member of the building s condominium board, flew to New York to help resolve the emergency. The building s hallway and stairs are under inches of water.
"Events such as this put the day to day events of life in a perspective and make one even more grateful for family, friends and the simple things of life," Dr. Gold wrote.
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