Ground zero workers win compensation claims
It has been revealed that more than 10,000 workers who claim they suffered health problems from the toxic conditions at Ground Zero, have won their compensation claims.
The labourers who worked on the site after the September 11 terror attacks have won their work accident claims of £432 million ($657.5m), in a legal battle that has lasted years.
In 2008, the city prompted anger when it argued that a third of the thousand litigants had minor health problems such as runny noses and insomnia. Officials have also alleged some claims were for illnesses that existed before 9/11.
The settlement – which took two years to negotiate – went before a judge in Manhattan, although both sides in the dispute indicated they supported it.
Under the deal, the personal injury claims would vary from several thousand dollars to more than a million, depending on the severity of the medical problem and the extent of the claimant's exposure to contaminants.
Marc Bern, a lawyer for a company that represents 9,000 of the plaintiffs said it was a “good settlement”, furthering: “We are gratified that these heroic men and women will finally receive just compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical and other expenses”.
Updated on 15/03/2010