dojW000031.xml

dojW000031.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-05

Monday, November 05, 2001 4:08 PM
Comment - Compensation Payment

Comment concerning a victim's compensation payment to family members of those killed as a result of the 9/11 attacks:

The surviving family members of those who died as a result of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 must be compensated by the victim's compensation fund.

Although the acts causing the death of innocent people on 9/11 were acts of war, war had not yet been declared. There was no advance notice to those who died to avoid certain activity that could cause death, therefore they were not contributorily negligent in any way. It was the government that was negligent in performing intelligence required to detect in advance that attacks against the United States were planned. Had proper intelligence existed, and perhaps had government agencies heeded advance warnings made by foreign governments of the danger, the attacks could possible been avoided.

In addition, the INS wrongly allowed terrorists with expired visas to remain in the United States; the Justice Department failed to inform the INS of the identity of terrorists seeking entrance to the United States; the INS wrongly allowed the terrorist ringleader, Mohamed Atta, to enter the United States although his name was on a United States security blacklist. Had these United States government agencies been performing their function properly, the attacks against the United States may have been prevented.

For these reasons, it is proper that the United States government compensate the surviving immediate family members, spouse and children, for the loss of those killed on 9/11 as a result of the ttacks.


Although monetary compensation cannot replace a loved one, and the victims cannot be made entirely whole, compensation should be calculated in a way similar to a wrongful death action under Federal law. That compensation should include the estimated lost wages for the anticipated remaining working lifespan of the decedent. The survivors should be expected to meet daily living expenses, including health care and college from this payment as they would had the money been earned wages. The compensation should be calculated regardless of any existing insurance or retirement proceeds since that money is independent of real lost wages felt by dependents of the survivors. Compensation for other expenses such as attorney's fees, pain and suffering etc. should be allowed only if they are permitted in a federal wrongful death action.

Thank you for inviting public comment into the decision making process.

Individual Comment
Silver Spring, MD

2001-11-05