The events of September 11, 2001 are etched in the memory of every American, and most people can recall exactly where they were when tragedy struck. Among the many stories from that day, Lara Lundstrom Clarke’s is particularly unique—and it involves none other than actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Chance Encounter
Clarke, 24 at the time, was an account manager at Baseline Financial Services, located at the World Trade Center. On that fateful morning, she was crossing 7th Avenue on her way to work when she was nearly hit by a silver Mercedes SUV. As the two drivers engaged in a brief standoff over who would go first, Clarke made eye contact with the driver. To her surprise, the driver wasn’t a typical New Yorker, but none other than Gwyneth Paltrow.
“I stopped and they screeched to a halt. Then it developed into one of those classic who-goes-first situations,” Clarke recalled. “Then I made eye contact with the Mercedes driver… OMG it was Gwyneth Paltrow.”
After the brief encounter, Paltrow waved Clarke on, allowing her to cross the street. Clarke proceeded with her day, unaware that the random interaction would have life-altering consequences.
The Ripple Effect
Because of the encounter, Clarke missed her subway train by mere seconds. She caught the next one, arriving at the World Trade Center station at 8:47 a.m., just minutes after the first plane struck the North Tower at 8:46 a.m.
“I was stuck in the basement of a building. All I could think about was my parents and if I died, what it would do to them,” Clarke recalled. “My heart was racing, I was paralyzed. I couldn’t even speak. ‘Get me outside, I need to be outside’.”
Just moments later, a second plane struck the South Tower, hitting the 77th floor, where Clarke typically worked.
Paltrow had been behind the wheel of the Mercedes (Marc Piasecki/WireImage)
A Close Call with Death
Reflecting on her near-death experience, Clarke credited the chance encounter with Paltrow for saving her life. Had she caught her original train, Clarke would have been at her desk on the 77th floor at the time of the second crash.
“If I had made that train, I would have been at my desk on the 77th floor of 2 World Trade Center,” Clarke said. “It’s an extraordinary story, and all I could think about is all of the people who had experiences like that that day, but aren’t able to reach out because it wasn’t a recognizable person.”
A Heartfelt Letter
Clarke later wrote to Paltrow, sharing how the unexpected encounter had ultimately saved her life. Paltrow, who had no idea the woman she’d crossed paths with had such a profound experience, shared her thoughts on the letter in 2011. “Ten years later, I got a letter from her saying that she had been late for work. It was an extraordinary story,” Paltrow said.
A Life Forever Changed
The story of Lara Lundstrom Clarke and Gwyneth Paltrow’s accidental meeting is a testament to how small moments can alter the course of someone’s life. In the midst of one of the most tragic days in history, fate intervened, changing the outcome for Clarke and sparing her from the deadly events that unfolded just moments later.
Featured Image Credit: Ivan Romano/Getty Images/Spencer Platt/Getty Images
