Kim Gale  |  December 17, 2019

Category: Cancer

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Firefighter in protective gear and oxygen mask makes his way among embersThe number of New York firefighters to die of 9/11 first responders cancer has now reached 200, according to the Ray Pfeifer Foundation. These deaths are in addition to the 343 FDNY firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center terrorist attack.

Retired FDNY captain Dennis Gilhooly and retired firefighter Brian Casse both died on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

The Ray Pfeifer Foundation was founded in memory of an FDNY firefighter who also died of 9/11 first responders cancer on May 28, 2017. The foundation credits Ray with leading the lobbying to extend the Zadroga Act through 2090 to take care of health care needs for about 75,000 people who will develop illnesses due to exposure from toxins released after the Twin Towers fell in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

According to CBS News, data shows a higher number of deaths from brain cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among first responders and others who were exposed to asbestos, benzene, jet fuel, glass particles and other contaminants in the days and weeks following the attacks.

Forbes reported that medical journal JAMA Network Open published a study that determined the first firefighters on the WTC scene were 44 percent more apt to develop cardiovascular disease than the firefighters who entered the scene the very next day.

Compensation Fund for 9/11 First Responders Cancer

Survivors who lived, worked or went to school in the area near Ground Zero may be eligible for a portion of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and/or the World Trade Center Health Program, which can cover treatment for 9/11-related illnesses.

Among those who share in the risk of 9/11-related illnesses are students who returned to school shortly after the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, where the remains continued to burn for months.

According to New York’s CBS affiliate, the New York City Department of Education is attempting to inform students who went to school near the WTC sites that they may qualify for free health care and a portion of the compensation fund.

CBS2 spoke with Michele Hirsch, who said she was a senior at Stuyvesant High School back in 2001. The school is located about three blocks from the WTC site. She said she has survived cancer, and found out about the 9/11 survivors funds through a friend who has become an advocate for the approximately 19,000 former students who went back to school soon after the attacks.

The New York City Department of Education said it has joined forces with the United Federation of Teachers to inform about 3,000 eligible instructors of the compensation and health care that they also may qualify to receive.

In late 2018, the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund was running low on funds, but after heavy lobbying by 9/11 first responders, several of whom were severely ill, and by comedian John Stewart, the fund was extended through 2090.

Anyone who lived, worked, went to school or was present near Ground Zero between Sept. 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002 and became ill with cancer or a number of other illnesses could be eligible for free health care and/or money from the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

Navigating the complex and burdensome paperwork and strict deadlines to participate in the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund can be difficult. An experienced 9/11 Victim Fund attorney can help and ensure you get the maximum compensation available.

If you were present near Ground Zero, generally considered to be Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, between September 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, and were diagnosed with cancer 4 years or more after exposure (or 1 year or more for blood and bone cancers), you may qualify for compensation.

Submit your information now for a free, no-obligation review of your potential 9/11 cancer fund claim.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Free 9/11 Cancer Fund Claim Evaluation

If you qualify, a September 11 Victim Compensation Fund attorney will contact you to discuss the details of your potential claim at no charge to you.

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to participate in this investigation, it is imperative that you reply to the law firm if they call or email you. Failing to do so may result in you not getting signed up as a client or getting you dropped as a client.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.