World Trade Center lawsuit settlement: $657.5 million to be paid to 10,000 ground zero workers

Settlement reached in ground zero case   (AP)

A settlement of up to $657.5 million dollars was reached on March 11, 2010 to compensate about 10,000 rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero.

The workers involved in the suit claimed they were exposed to contaminants at the World Trade Center site while cleaning up after the 9/11 tragedy.

The rescue and cleanup workers at sued the city over damage to their health, according to city officials. The compensation each plaintiff receives will be dependent on the severity of their illness.

The lead researcher of a New York State Department of Health study informed The New York Post of a study documenting at least 204 deaths of rescue and recovery workers since September 11, 2001. The researchers for the study confirmed 98 deaths with death certificates. The researchers showed that 77 persons died of illnesses, including 55 from lung and various other cancers.

Rescue and recovery workers who have helped with the cleanup of ground zero aren't limited to those who are from New York. There were volunteers from around the country who are now facing illnesses that are a part of this lawsuit.

Locally, the memories are still strong years after the 9-11 tragedy. Although no local names have been released in the lawsuit, there are several Rhode Islanders who perished in the September 11 attacks in 2001 who will never be forgotten:

David Angell, 55, a native Rhode Islander, executive producer of the Frasier television series. He and his wife, Lynn Edwards Angell, 52, were flying home to Pasadena, Calif., on American Flight 11 after vacationing with family, including his brother, Kenneth A. Angell, a former auxiliary bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

Carol Bouchard, 43, of Warwick, an emergency-services secretary at Kent County Memorial Hospital. She was on American Airlines Flight 11 with her friend Renee Newell. They were planning to combine a business trip for Newell with a brief vacation in Las Vegas.

Mark L. Charette, 38, of Millburn N.J., formerly of Warwick, a senior vice president for Marsh Inc. who was attending a meeting on the 100th floor of the World Trade Center.

Lynn Goodchild, 25, of Attleboro, Mass., a plan administrator for Putnam Investments and a 1998 graduate of Bryant College. She and her boyfriend, Shawn Nassaney, were on United Flight 175 on their way to Hawaii.

Michael Gould, 29, formerly of Newport, worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied four top floors of the trade center's north tower. Gould was a 1990 graduate of Rogers High School. In 1994, he graduated from Villanova University, where he majored in finance.

The Rev. Francis Edward Grogan, 76, of Dartmouth, Mass., served as acting pastor at St. Stanislaus Church, in Fall River, and was a former associate priest at Holy Cross Church, in Easton, Mass. He was on United Flight 175, going to visit his sister in California before beginning a new assignment in Albany, N.Y.

James E. Hayden, 47, of Westford, Mass., a vice president and chief financial officer at Netegrity Inc., in Waltham, Mass., was a passenger on United Flight 175. His brother and father live in Rhode Island, where he was born.

Amy Jarret, 28, of North Smithfield, a flight attendant for United Airlines. She was working on the Boston-to-Los Angeles Flight 175.

Kathryn Yancey LaBorie, 44, of Providence, a United Airlines flight attendant based at Boston's Logan International Airport, was working on Flight 175. A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., she and her husband Eric LaBorie had recently moved to Rhode Island.

Shawn Nassaney, 25, of Pawtucket, a sales manager at American Power Conversion and a 1998 graduate of Bryant College. He and his girlfriend, Lynn Goodchild, were on United Flight 175, the first part of a trip to Hawaii.

Renee Newell, 37, of Cranston, a customer-service agent for American Airlines. She was aboard American Flight 11 with her friend Carol Bouchard, planning to combine a business trip with a brief vacation in Las Vegas.

Frank G. Schott Jr., 39, of Massapequa Park, N.Y., and formerly of Smithfield. He was a vice president of Marsh, McLennan Inc. on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center. He was a 1979 graduate of Smithfield High School and a 1983 graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

sources: NY Post, NYTimes.com, Wikipedia, 911healthnow.org