Both Democrats and Republicans
Deserve Our Gratitude
By donating generously to the politicians who protect the rights and health of our first responders, our law firm hopes to aid in the fight to bring justice to those who are suffering from WTC-related illnesses. Our firm has contributed to the campaigns of Senator Hillary Clinton, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Representative Jerrold Nadler, all of whom have fought tirelessly on behalf of sick and injured firefighters. Historically, we have supported Gov. George Pataki and various other firefighter proponents on the state and local levels. Because our law firm has represented thousands of injured firefighters and other accident victims, we feel it is our responsibility to monitor and support politicians from both political parties who advocate for you and your family's rights. You deserve nothing less for the sacrifices you've made.
THE POLITICS BEHIND THE 9/11 LAWSUITS
The number of workers claiming that they are sick as a result of exposure to toxins during the World Trade Center rescue and recovery operations continues to swell. Currently, there are over 7,000 claimants seeking compensation in Federal Court, and it is estimated that 4,000 more will file in the coming months. These workers claim that the City of New York, the Port Authority, and their contractors, were negligent in failing to provide respiratory protection.
Recently, a New Jersey medical examiner's autopsy attributed the untimely death of one of our clients, 34-year old Police Detective James Zadroga, to his exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center site. He spent approximately 470 hours at Ground Zero, and had been suffering from severe respiratory disease.
Shortly after Mr. Zadroga's death, the New York Daily News reported that 22 other relatively young men may also have died from respiratory-related illnesses caused or accelerated by their exposure to WTC-related toxins.
Despite mounting evidence that there is a health epidemic amongst people who worked at the World Trade Center site, the City of New York still refuses to acknowledge it. This probably has less to do with science, and more to do with the City's desire to protect its financial and legal interests.
WHY THE CITY DENIES CAUSATION: ECONOMICS VS. MEDICINE
It is simply not in the City of New York's economic interests to acknowledge that these workers' exposure at Ground Zero caused them to become gravely ill. Indeed, it is in the City's interest to refuse to look for any such connection. Any admission by the City of New York would have far-reaching effects, because it could potentially force the reclassification of benefits owed to the injured workers or their survivors. Perhaps more importantly, it would affect the pending litigation against the City. The City has invested vast resources in fighting the litigation, and thus far has refused to pay one penny to sick workers.
continued above
>
|
|
To date, it is estimated that the City of New York has spent over $40 million on overhead and attorneys fees to fight the class-action lawsuit. Recently, the City asked the court to find that it is immune from all liability, and dismiss these claims. Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that it is still too early in the litigation to determine whether the City in fact enjoys immunity for its actions. To be sure, the City will raise the claim of immunity again.
Despite the City's claim of immunity, it appears that Congress recognized early on that the City would be liable for injuries it caused to workers at the site. In the wake of the attacks, it placed a $350 million ceiling on the City's liability, and helped to fund a $1 billion insurance fund to address claims.
SENATOR CLINTON AND GOVERNOR PATAKI FIGHT FOR RESCUE WORKERS
Jimmy Zadroga's death, the first definitively linked to toxins at the site, has galvanized union leaders and politicians, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Governor George Pataki, two longtime proponents of firefighters' rights. Sen. Clinton proposed that the federal government put up an additional $1.9 billion over five years for long-term treatment of first responders.
"They came to our rescue in our time of need, and we must do the same," she said of the workers.
Gov. George Pataki has signed three bills into law to improve health benefits for those who worked at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills landfill and other spots following the September 11th attacks. The legislation greatly expands benefits for workers who have died or become sick.
"As it is clear that many champions of 9/11 have developed debilitating illnesses over time resulting from their selfless acts, these New Yorkers need to know that New York State will not abandon them." Pataki said.
MOUNTING EVIDENCE OF WTC-RELATED ILLNESSES
The evidence that workers have fallen ill as a result of their exposure at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill continues to mount. Recently, Sister Cindy Mahoney, an episcopal nun, died following a lengthy battle with lung disease. She worked as a paramedic and spent countless hours tending to the spiritual needs of first responders. Sister Mahoney knew that she was dying, and specifically requested that an autopsy be performed to help the claimants prove that their illnesses were caused by exposure at Ground Zero.
The New York City Fire Department reported a five-fold increase in cases of firefighters suffering from sarcoidosis, a respiratory disease that scars the lungs. Earlier this year, the Uniformed Firefighter's Association linked the deaths of two firefighters and a battalion chief to respiratory disease resulting from exposure at Ground Zero. And, three young emergency medical technicians who worked in the dust and smoke at Ground Zero have died from pulmonary diseases and coronary problems, according to their union.
The latest survey by the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City estimates that seven out of ten people who responded to the site suffer from new or worsening lung problems. The survey of 9,500 people also found that those who responded the earliest had the most severe ailments.
What's more, another recent study of 12,000 Firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians claims that exposure at the site may have aged workers lungs by more than a decade. Researchers from Montefiore Medical Center, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the FDNY's Bureau of Health Services say their study concludes that first responders may have lost the equivalent of 12 years of lung function. Researchers say that number varies based upon how long a person worked at the site, and how much dust they inhaled.
Firefighters need more than medical monitoring; they need medical treatment. While it may be in the interests of the City to continue to deny that heroes such as Jimmy Zadroga died as a result of their exposure at Ground Zero, thankfully there are politicians who refuse to turn a blind eye to this unique human tragedy.
Barasch McGarry will continue to devote our efforts on the legal front, as well as use our financial resources to support the political leaders who do the right thing for New York's Bravest.
return to top
|
