NEW YORK -- A 33-year-old woman who suffered massive injuries in the attack on the World Trade Center has been awarded $8.6 million by the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund.
The award to Deborah Mardenfeld, first reported by the New York Law Journal on Thursday, was the largest yet offered by the fund.
Mardenfeld, an American Express human resources director, lost her left heel and buttocks and had her legs crushed by falling debris. She spent more than a year in hospitals after the attack.
"I have hopes of returning to a normal life, but I can't look past this year," she said. "I look at it day by day and try to make the most of my recovery. I still believe in all the possibilities of what my life can be."
Guy Smiley, the lawyer who represented her for free, said the award was "hard money for her."
"She'd give it all back in a flash," Smiley said.
As of Friday, the fund reported it had awarded payments on 2,576 personal injury claims ranging from $500 to $8.6 million -- the amount given to Mardenfeld.
Mardenfeld, who worked at the World Financial Center, was crushed by debris from the second plane that hit the trade center. She is engaged to be married and spends much of her time in rehabilitation.
