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President Obama Signs 9/11 Worker Health Bill
Posted by: William Gentile
January 31, 2011

Earlier this month, President Obama signed a landmark piece of legislation, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The law will provide medical and health aid to survivors of the September 11 World Trade Center tragedy, and first responders who fell sick as a result of working at the site.

The legislation is named after police officer James Zadroga, who fell seriously ill with a respiratory illness after he responded to the site of the greatest terrorist attack in US history.  Zadroga was a detective at the New York Police Department, and died of illnesses that he developed as a result of his work on the site. 

The law will commit $20 billion to help 9/11 responders and volunteers who fell ill after they were exposed to toxic debris and other contaminants at the 9/11 site. The initial piece of legislation would have provided for approximately $7.4 billion to be set aside for medical and healthcare for 9/11 volunteers and emergency responders.  That amount was whittled down to $4.3million.

Responders will have to wait until the month of July to see any benefits from this law.  The bill will cover all responders, volunteers and employees at Ground Zero.  It will also cover those who lived near Ground Zero or worked nearby.  The total package includes more than $1.5 billion for the treatment of related disorders that developed a result of mental health disorders. A further $2.8 billion has been earmarked in compensation for those who were affected by their work at the site.

The lawyers at Godosky and Gentile have been strongly involvedin the efforts to secure medical and health aid for workers who were left withseverely debilitating illnesses as a result of the work they performed at theGround Zero site.   

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Infant Seriously Injured in Brooklyn Accident
Posted by: William Gentile
January 31, 2011

Red light violations continue to be a major factor in accidents that New York auto accident lawyers come across. A nine-month-old infant was seriously injured in an accident in Brooklyn, caused when an out-of-control car crashed into a minivan, and set off a chain reaction crash.

According to the New York Times, the accident on Sunset Park was triggered by a livery driver, Gregorio A. Patino who was driving on a suspended license. He crashed his car into a Toyota minivan, which then collided with a Toyota pickup. The force of the collision caused the pickup to hop onto the sidewalk and into a woman standing on the sidewalk with her infant twin sons. The mother was thrown several feet away, and sustained serious injuries. One twin has suffered head injuries, and is reported to be a critical condition. The woman is apparently from Baltimore, and had been visiting New York for a family reunion.

According to witnesses at the scene, Patino had run a red light on Fourth Avenue just before the accident. He has now been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, imprudent and reckless driving.

Investigations into this accident are going on. Red light violations are some of the most frequent factors in auto accidents in the US. These are also the most underestimated. We have campaigns to prevent distracted driving, intoxicated driving and speeding, but few crackdowns against those who show little regard for the law as they run a red light and endanger the safety of other motorists. Crashes that result from motorists running red lights are extremely serious, because other cars involved in the collision typically do not have time to avoid the speeding car.

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