The deaths of firefighters Joseph P. Graffagnino and Robert Beddia at the Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero in 2007 needlessly replayed the tragedy that unfolded on Sept. 11, 2001, when 343 of New York’s Bravest died. The high-rise bank building, adjacent to the World Trade Center, was damaged in the attack and six years later was being cleaned of asbestos and demolished.
State Supreme Court Judge Rena Uviller and a jury in Manhattan are now deciding whether to convict three contractor site supervisors and subcontracting firm John Galt Corp. of criminal charges in connection with the deaths. If the judge and jurors do convict and possibly send the managers to jail, they will have extended the tragedy of the attack even further.