Grieving father Joseph Zadroga, who helped create 9/11 compensation fund, dies in freak parking lot accident
NY Post
Joseph Zadroga — a fierce advocate for first responders who suffered illness after the 9/11 attacks — died in a freak accident on Saturday when he was struck by an elderly driver who mistakenly hit the gas in a New Jersey parking lot, cops said.
Zadroga — the father of late 9/11 first responder James Zadroga — had just visited his wife at the hospital when he was struck in the parking lot by 82-year-old driver James McNeal at around 2 p.m., according to the Galloway Township Police Department.
Joseph Zadroga, 76, of Little Egg Harbor, has been credited with spearheading the Zadroga Act for 9/11 families which helped deliver much-needed funds to the families of first responders.
He was standing beside his parked Hyundai Tucson when McNeal tried to park his 2021 Nissan SUV at about 2 p.m. and hit the gas instead of the brake.
Zadroga was struck by the McNeal’s SUV and pinned underneath.
First responders performed “life-saving measures” and rushed him to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Division, where he died.
