New York State Trooper Dies Due To Illness Related To 9/11 Attacks
More than 20 years later, the terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center is still taking lives. A Trooper with the New York State Police has died due to an illness related to the attack.
I lived in New York City at the time of the attack. I had just moved there about 2 weeks before the attack for graduate school. I lived around 5 blocks away from the World Trade Towers. I will never forget that address. I was actually home when the towers were hit. I was in my room on the 21st floor and I felt a combination of a sound and vibration. I had no clue what it was, but not long after that I heard lots and lots of sirens. My roommate came home and said someone had hit one of the Twin Towers. She went up on our roof to get a better look. I was headed up, but I wanted to grab my camera (an old school film camera) first. Before I could make it to the roof, she came back into our apartment and said we needed to leave. We left and got stuck in lower Manhattan because they weren't letting anyone go anywhere north. We couldn't return to our apartment for two weeks. It was a terrifying experience I will never forget. I left NYC less than a year after that, looking back, I believe I had PTSD. I was scared all the time, thinking it was going to happen again, and being on the 21st floor didn't help. My heart still goes out to those who lost their lives and their loved ones who had to pick up the pieces.
9/11 Attacks Spread Toxic Dust Around Ground Zero And Lover Manhattan
The September 11, 2001, initially attacks killed 2,996 people initially - 2,977 victims and 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. However, many first responders and survivors died in the decades following. Up to 18,000 people are estimated to have experienced negative health impacts and illness from the toxic dust.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic debris containing more than 2,500 contaminants, including known carcinogens, were spread across Lower Manhattan due to the Twin Towers' collapse. Exposure to the toxins in the debris is alleged to have contributed to fatal or debilitating illnesses among people who were at Ground Zero.
The Centers For Disease Control estimates that 400,000 people were exposed to various risks after the attacks, including contamination from the toxic dust, physical injuries, and physical and emotional stress.
New York State Police Mourn The Loss Of A Trooper Who Died From 9/11 Illness
Today, June 12, 2023, Captain Christopher J. Garrow, who spent much of his time in service with Troop B of the New York State Police, passed away from an illness tied to his assignment in and around the World Trade Center site following the attack. He helped with the search and recovery efforts. Captain Garrow had been with NYSP less than a year before he was assigned to World Trade recovery efforts. He joined the force on November 2, 2000. He is survived by his wife Jillian and two daughters - Maggie and Ella.
Photos Of The Tragic September 11 Terrorist Attack In New York City
More From 93.7 WBLK
