New York agrees 9/11 payout

Ground Zero workers

Almost ten years after the Twin Towers and Building 7 collapsed from the Manhattan skyline, the City of New York will compensate rescue and recovery workers affected by the dust and debris to the tune of up to $657.5 million.

The World Trade Centre Captive Insurance Company - established to indemnify the city and its contractors against possible legal action - announced the news on Thursday night, said the UK Press Association.

"[It's] a fair and reasonable resolution to a complex set of circumstances," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "The resolution of the World Trade Centre litigation will allow the first responders and workers to be compensated for injuries suffered following their work at Ground Zero."

"We are gratified that these heroic men and women who performed their duties without consideration of the health implications will finally receive just compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical and other expenses, as the US Congress intended when it appropriated this money," said Marc Bern, a senior partner with the law firm Worby, Groner, Edelman & Napoli, Bern LLP, which negotiated the deal. 

Wishing to be compensated

To detract false and fraudulent claims, workers who wish to be compensated will need to prove that they had been at the World Trade Centre site, had handled debris or need to produce medical records or other relevant information from a medical professional.

The enormity of the payout will aim to compensate the thousands of inadequately insured workers exposed to the dust fumes and smouldering wreckage in the months following the initial terror attacks, with symptoms as serious as cell-cancer, to less severe, but oft-recurrent symptoms like nasal drip or sinus congestion and headaches.

The majority of the money would come out of a $1 billion grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Ross Densley

Ross Densley is a graduate from Bath Spa University, and has freelanced for several magazines ranging across a section of topics such as animation, business, film and lifestyle. When Ross is not working he writes and edits his own satirical website.

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