Here’s an American newspaper article about her:
Paper finds big holes in woman’s tales of surviving 9/11
©USA TODAY September 27, 2007
Tania Head has sold herself to the public as a survivor of 9/11 who lost her fiance—or husband—when the World Trade Center collapsed.
In the years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, she has spoken publicly about what she “witnessed,” saying during one memorial event: “It was a lot of death and destruction, but I also saw hope.” And as the co-founder of the World Trade Center Survivors’ Network, Head led delegations of dignitaries on tours of the visitor center at Ground Zero.
She has a compelling story. Is it true? The New York Times reports today that “no part of her story, it turns out, has been verified.” The company she says she worked for on 9/11 says it never heard of her. The same goes for the family of her “fiance” or “husband,” according to the paper.
The paper found lots of inconsistencies and falsehoods, yet the most telling detail comes from Head’s attorney. “With regard to the veracity of my client’s story, neither my client, nor I, have any comment,” lawyer Stephanie Furgang Adwar tells the paper.
USA TODAY has requested comment on the Times story from Head and her attorney.
The Survivors’ Network dumped Head as president after it learned about the Times story. Her name no longer appears on the group’s list of officers, but a cached version includes this biography:
Tania Head is a Senior Vice-President for Strategic Alliances for an investment Think Tank. On September 11, she was working for a client whose offices where located on the upper floors of the South Tower. Her fiancee worked across the plaza in the North Tower. Tania sustained life threatening injuries and barely escaped with her life. But her fiancee was one of the many lost that day. Despite painful injuries, Tania has been a tireless advocate for survivors and family members, and also feels a special mission to help victims of other disasters. She went to Thailand to help after the tsunami and to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She speaks to many groups across the country, and is an active supporter of emergency plans in the workplace. Tania also lends her time to serve as Chairman of the 9/11 Living Memorial Survivors’ Committee, the board of a foundation set up in her fiancées memory, and the board of the WTC Widows Social Group. In 2003 and 2004 Tania taught financial planning workshops for fellow September 11 widows, and last year was recognized by her Alma Mater with an Achievement Award for her contribution to her profession and community. She also collaborates with and leads numerous tours for the WTC Tribute Center. Tania is a co-founder of the World Trade Center Survivors’ Network, and currently serves as its President.
Here’s a selection of excerpts from news stories that included Head:
• “Those of us who were here always talk about how blue the sky was,” she says in a New York Daily News story dated Sept. 7.
• “September 11 was a regular day,’’ she tells the British Press Association on Sept. 4. “It was such beautiful weather – it was still warm, the last days of summer. We arrived at about 7.30am and said goodbye, and ‘I love you, I’ll see you later.’ Just before 8.30am Dave called me. He wanted to meet downstairs for a coffee, but I said I was too busy. I said ‘I’ll see you later’. That was the last time I spoke to him.’’
• “People cannot understand. We saw things,” she tells Time magazine on Sept. 6, 2004. “We had to make life-or-death decisions. The higher the floor, the more lonely you were. I can’t get rid of my fear that it’s going to happen again.”
On Deadline’s research shows that Head registered her e-mail address with Yahoo about a month after the attacks, and joined an online discussion group for survivors on Dec. 2, 2001.
Composing members:
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Composing members:
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