♪ >> I CAN HEAR IT IN MY HEAD
RITGH NOW 40 YEARS LATER.
>> ALL OF THE SUDDEN, YOU HEARD THIS NOISE.
>> POP, P.PO >> THE NOISE WAS JUST INCREDIBLE
AND THE BUILDING SHOOK.
>> IT SOUNDED LIKE A BIG TREE LIMB CRACKING.
>> I JUST REMEMBER HEARING THE CRACK.
>> CONCRETE AND STEEL DOESN’T BREAK QUIETLY.
>> THE SECOND FLOOR WALKYWA BEGINS TO SAG AND THEN IT BEGINS
TOPLIT. S >> WE’RE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER.
THAT’S ALL I CAN REMEMBER.
>> FROM THE VERY TOP, HERET I CAME.
>> AND THEY LAND ON TOP OF HUNDREDS OF PEOP.LE
>> AND THEN.
BLACK.
♪ >> THE FEW SECONDS RIGHT AFTER
THE COLLAPSE WAS PERHAPS THE MOST ODD PORTION OF THE WHOLE
EVENT.
>> TOTAL SILENCE.
AND EERIE.
>> YOU DIDN’T HEAR A SCRM.EA YOU DIDN’T HEAR A THING.
FOR THREE, FOUR, MAYBE EVEN FIVE SECONDS.
AND THEN THE CHAOS START.ED >> KMBC 9 PHOTOJOURNALIST DAVE
FORSTATE STARTED ROLLING AND RUNNING.
>> IT WAS A LOT OF ADRENALINE WAS GOING THROUGH MY BODY AT THE
TIME.
>> TWO SKYWALKS HAD COLLAPSED ONTO THE LOBBY OF KANSAS CITY’S
HYATT REGENCY HOTEL.
BUS BOYS AND DANCERS DONNING NUMBERS FOR A SWING DANCE
CONTEST SPUN INTO ACTION TO HELP.
CONCRETE, STEEL, AND GLASS, NOW, A 72 TON TOM
>> IT IMMEDIATELY SMELLED LIKE DEATH.
I DON’T KNOW HOW ELSE TO PUT IT.
YOU JUST KNEW.
THERE WAS AN ODOR.
>> MUSICIAN RICH COBLE WAS JUST FEET FROM THE WRECKAGE THAT NOW
ENCASED DOZENS OF PEOPLE, LIKE MARK WILLIAMS.
>> I KNEW THERE WERE PEOPLE XTNE TO ME THAT WERE KILLED
INSTANTLY.
AND I DON’T WANT TO GO INTO HOW I KNEW THAT, BUT I KNEW THE
MINUTE IT CAME DOWN AND HIT US, I KNEW THERE WERE PEOPLE
CRUSHED.
>> MY FIRST THOUGHT IS, WHERE’S PHA ONE?
>> MAHONEY FOUND ONE IN THE HOTEL RESTAURANT.
>> AND THIS OPERATOR FROM BEHIND SWITCHBOARD COMES ON, ANID
DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE WAS LOCATED IN THE HOTEL, BUT I KNOW WHERE
SHE WASN’T.
SHE WASN’T ANYWHERE CLOSE TO WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED IN THE
LOBBY, AND S GHEREETED ME WITH A '
’GOOD EVENING, HYATT HOTELS, MAY I HELP YOU?.’
>> AS MAHOY NETRIED TO REACH THE KMBC 9 NEWSROOM, EMERGENCY HELP
WAS ALREADY ON THE WAY.
>> COME TO THE HYATT REGENCY IMMEDIATELY.
THREE SKY BRIDGES FELL IN.
>> WHAT?
>> SKYBRIDGES HOLDING PEOPLE SELL AND CRUSHED -- FELL AND CR
USHED.
>> POLICE OFFICER VINCE ORTEGA WAS THE FIRST RESPONDER ON THE
SCENE.
>> DISPATCHER KEPT UPDATING ME ALMOST MINUTE BY MINUTE SAYING
NOW THERE’S LTMUIPLE INJURS.IE >> OFFICER ORTEGA ARRIVED
MOMENTS LATER.
>> ONE LADY JUST WAS ON MY ARM, GRABBED ME AND GRABBED ME AND
SHE SAID ’PLEA HSEELP.’ AND SO I STARTED FOLLOWING HER IN.
OPEN THE DOOR.
AND AS SOON AS I OPENED UP THE DOOR, I SAW JUST PEOEPL
SCREAMING, MOANING, AND GROWNING AND HURT.
>> LINDA SCURLOCK, TERESA CUEVAS, AND SALLY FIRESTE ONOWH
HAD BEEN ON THE SECOND FLOOR WERE NOW SANDWICHED BETWNEE
SKYWALKS AND BURIED IN THE DEEPEST SECTION OF RUBBLE WAS
11EA-YR-OLD DALTON GRANT AND HIS MOM.
>> I WAS TURNED SIDEWAYS, ONE CHEEK WAS ON THE GROUND AND THE
SKYWALK HAD STOPPED AN INCH ABOVE MY CHE.EK
SO, ABOUT AS WIDE AS MY SKULL.
SO I THINK MY PELVIS HAD BRONKE AND SO MY KNEES CAME UP BY MY
EARS AS I WAS FACE DOWN LIKE A
FROG KIND OF SHAPE, ANMYD WAS ON A STEP HIGHER THAN ME,
BUT I COULD REACH FORWARD AND TOUCH HER.
>> WITH BAREAN HDS, SURVIVORS WERE DIGGING THROUGH DEBRIS IN A
FRANTIC EFFORT TO SAVE LIVES.
>> AT THE BEGINNING, WHEN I SWA SHOOTING THE PARTY AND
EVERYBODY’S HAPPY TO SEE ME.
BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHAOS, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT JUST
THOUGHT YOU KNOW, NEWS PEOPLE SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE.
I THINK IT WAS AFTER THE WOMAN YOU SAW WHO WAS HYSTERICAL.
>> SOME GUY JUST STARTED COMING UP AT ME, SCREAMING, AND WITHOUT
WARNING STARTED TO THROW PUNCHES.
BUT FORTUNATELY OUR GENERAL MANAGER KENT REPLOGLE WAS NEBYAR
AND HE RAN OVER AND GOT THE GUY OFF OFE. M
>> MOMENTS EARLIER KMBC’S GENERAL MANAGER HADLSO A
WITNESSED THE COLLAPSE.
>> IT STARTED TO BUCEKL AND THERE WAS A NOISE AND IT FELL TO
THE GROUND.
>> THOSE WHO COULD, WERE ESCAPING THE HYATT.
FORMER TEACHER ANNETTE LN,BEUY WHO’D STEPPED OFF THE SKYWALKS
RIGHT BEFORE THE COLLAPSE, LEADING THE Y.WA
>> I WENT IMMEDIATELY INTO EVUAACTION MODE.
>> SHE PASSED THE BAND.
THE MUSICIANS, IN AND OUT OF THE BUILDING, HELPING CARRY THE
INJURED TO SAFETY.
>> IT WAS GRIM.
>> THE BALCONY COLLAPSED.
THERE MAY BE 50 TO 100 PEOPLE.
>> OH JES.SU WE NEED SOMETHING THAT CAN LIFT
TONS.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
PEOP ARELE TRAPPED BENEATH THE BALCONY.
>> FOLLOWING A 12 HOUR SHIFT BAPTIST MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, DR.
JOE WAECKERLE WAS WORKING T.OU >> THEN I CAME BACK DOWN AND WAS
OBVIOUSLY TIRED AND WET AND GOT A PHONE CALL SAYING SOMETHING
HAPPENED AT THE HYATT.
MY NAME IS JOSEPH F WAECKERLE.
>> NAME IS JOSEPH F WAECKERLE.
THE CITY’S EMS DIRECTOR WAS UNAVAILAE.BL
WAECKERLE HAD DONE THE JOB FOR THE LAST DECADE AND GOT THE CALL
INSTEAD.
>> AND THAT’S HOW IT STARTED.
I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT.
>> WORD OF THE DISASTER WAS SPREADING QUICKLY.
A RECENT GRADUATE BRENT WRIGHT HAD SPENT THE NIGHT WORKING ON A
LOADING DOCK AT OAK PARK MALL IN OVERLAND PARK.
>> I WAS WORKING AND I HAD THE RADIO ON AND I HEARD SOMETHING
HAPPENED AT THE HYATT HOTEL.
I DID NOT KNOW IF ANYBODY I KNEW WAS THERE.
>> HE WAS MILES FROM THE CHA,OS BUT TRAGEDY WAS ALREADY CLOSER
THAN HE KNEW.
I>> REMEMBER FINALLY BEING ABLE TO LEAVE AND LISTENING TO THE
LO CAL RADIO STATION REPORTING ON
SOMETHING THAT HAD HAPPENED A NDEIGHT CONFIRMED DEATHS AND I’M
SCREAMG INAT THE RADIO GOING '
’OH, NO.
THERE’S DOZENS.’ >> YOU WERE INSIDE FILMING WHIT
MICHEAL MAHONEY.
WHAT DID YOU SEE HAPPEN?
>> WE WERE ACROSS ON THE SECOND FLOOR NEAR THE RESTAURANT AND
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CATWALK COLLAPSED INHE T MIDDLE AND
EVERYTHING CAME DOWN IN ONE BIG SCOOP.
>> I REALIZED IMMEDIATELY THAT THIS IS AN ENORMOUS STORY.
I ALSO REALIZED THAT MY FEATURE DAYS AT CHANNEL NINE ARE OVER
AND I’GOM ING TO BE COVERING A TERRIBLE MASS CASUALTY EVE.NT
>> THAT VERY NIGHT, ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE AND TED KOPPEL TURNED
TO THE ONLY REPORTER IN THE RO.OM
>> IT CAME DOWN IN THE MIDDLE, TED.
PEOPLE BEGAN TO SLIDE OFF, THEY BE
GAN TO JUMP OUT.
>> WHAT THE WORLD DIDN’T YET REALIZE FOR THE SURVIVORS
TRAPPED INSIDE.
THE TERROR WAS JUST BEGINNING.
>> THE WATER STARTED TO RISEN O THE FLOORS.
AND I’M TRYING TO GET MY HEAD UP AND I’M STARTING TBRO EATHE
WATER