A carpenter from Yonkers could be one of thousands getting help for 9/11-related illnesses under a new measure proposed by lawmakers.

A study showed 70 percent of first responders and workers at the World Trade Center after the terror attacks suffered from respiratory and other health problems. Yonkers resident Jimmy Nolan joined others from his carpenters union to help clean up Ground Zero. When Nolan became ill, he was told that he couldn?t file a claim for compensation because he missed the 90-day deadline.

Senator Nick Spano (R-Yonkers) and Senator Vincent Leibell (R-Patterson) announced a measure that would allow people like Nolan and those considered the second wave of 9/11 victims to file a notice of claim and sue. Spano says there is an obligation to protect the rights of those who were rescue, recovery and clean-up workers in and surrounding the World Trade Center.

Related Information Seventy percent of 9/11 first responders suffer respiratory problems