A Father-of-three managed to survive the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, but died a hero while trying to rescue a group of children.
Luke Laidley, 43, was hanging out on a boat near Chicago’s Elder Beach on the 4th of July, when he saw another boat towing a group of children on a raft.
When the raft flipped and kids were struggling to swim, Laidley jumped into the water to rescue the children. He managed to help one drowning child onto the boat, then went under himself.
Winnetka Police reported that he was completely submerged for about a minute, before boaters were able to pull him onboard.
The performed CPR on him until first responders arrived and he was taken to a hospital in Evanston for treatment, before passing away hours later.
Laidley graduated from Boston College before moving to New York to take his first post collegiate job at Morgan Stanley.
The firm was housed in Tower 2 of the World Trade Center, and the young financier worked on the sixth floor.
On his second day on the job, two planes struck the twin towers on September 11, 2001. He survived the attack and returned home to Chicago.
“I encourage all of us to count our blessings each and every day,” he wrote. “Give of yourself and expect nothing in return. And become part of something that is greater than yourself.”
Laidley wasn’t the only heroic dad that tragically died recently, a veteran FDNY firefighter drowned in June while saving his daughter.
Mark Batista, 39, and his family were vacationing on the Jersey Shore in June, when he noticed his teenager daughter was caught in a rip current close to a jetty.
He jumped in the water to save her, but ended up drowning himself in an area that was not under lifeguard surveillance.
Rescuers were eventually able to locate the girl, who was transported to a local hospital and expected to recover. An hour-an-a-half later, they were able to recover Batista’s body.
