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Oct 16, 2007 5:59 pm US/Eastern
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On The Fence: 9/11 First Responders May Make Deal
Some Want Their Day In Court; Others Not So Sure
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
There have been talks about a settlement with thousands of sick ground zero workers, but there could be a catch.
As CBS 2 HD has learned, some sick workers don't know whether they should take the cash and give up their day in court.
FDNY Battalion Chief Jim Riches nearly died of respiratory failure after working at ground zero. He says he wants to go to trial.
"They don't want to admit their guilt because they didn't give us respirators at ground zero and they lied about the quality of air," Riches said.
"I want to go to court."
But for many others who have received a letter from their lawyers seeking an okay to negotiate a settlement, the decision is not so simple.
Harrison volunteer firefighter Kenneth Fusco and some of his friends who worked on the pile are now only in the early stages of World Trade Center disease.
"Cough and running out of breath," Fusco said, describing his ailments. "If we walk a flight of stairs we're tired."
For them the fear is what happens if they get sicker.
"I have three kids," Fusco said. "If something does get worse and it requires care for the rest of my life am I going to be able to afford it?"
Fusco keeps a picture of himself at ground zero next to his fire badge. It reminds him of the everyday heroes who perished there.
"It was devastating just to see it … to be in it, but working in it was like I thought I was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie," Fusco said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was tight-lipped about the issue.
"There's no reason to think we can come to a settlement no reason to think we can't," Bloomberg said.
And although it is a very difficult decision, the lawyers say time is of the essence. They're giving the 9/11 workers only until Oct. 25 to make up their minds.
Sources say there is about $1 billion in insurance money for a settlement, which is actually not much divided among 9,000 people.
The city wants the federal government to contribute more.
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