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"There was a loud roar and I could see the South
Tower coming down on me."
Moments after he arrived at the Emergency Medical
Services command post near Ground Zero on Sept. 11, EMS Lieutenant
Roger Moore heard a loud roar. "I looked up. I could see the
South Tower coming down on me," said Mr. Moore, who arrived
on the scene of the Sept. 11 attack just after the second plane
hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Mr. Moore bolted toward the World Financial Center.
As dust and debris surrounded him, he fell and severed the muscle
over his left knee, severely injured his right knee and broke an
elbow. He was one of two dozen members of Uniformed EMS Officers
Union Local 3621 injured on 9/11.
Two Firefighters put him on a stretcher and fought their way through
the shaking World Financial Center to the Battery Park marina. A
police launch took him to Ellis Island and later to Jersey City
Medical Center, where he stayed a few days. Mr. Moore spent a month
at Staten Island Hospital and went through two operations. He has
progressed from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane. He goes to physical
therapy three times a week.
He feels fortunate to be covered by a line-of-duty-injury clause
in Local 3621's contract, which means he is receiving his full salary.
Eventually, he will be covered by a disability pension under the
state's Workers' Compensation law.
But as Mr. Moore throws his energy into his physical rehabilitation,
the need to plan for a career change adds to the pain of his recovery.
Unfortunately, his injuries will prevent him from returning to his
EMS job. "I am 48 and too young to retire," said Mr. Moore,
who plans to return to school and is considering studying Web design.
— G.N.H.