Joseph C. Zadroga, whose lobbying helped ship well being advantages to 1000’s of emergency employees whose well being was once impaired by way of breathing in mud and particles at floor 0 after the 2001 terrorist assault at the International Industry Middle — even if his efforts got here too past due for his personal son, a New York Town detective — died on Saturday after being hit by way of a automobile in Pomona, N.J. He was once 76.

His loss of life was once showed by way of his son Joseph F. Zadroga.

Early Saturday afternoon, the elder Mr. Zadroga was once visiting his spouse on the Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation. Consistent with the Galloway Township police, he was once status out of doors his parked automobile when he was once struck by way of an SUV that it seems that sped up by chance and pinned him underneath it. He was once pronounced useless at AtlantiCare Regional Scientific Middle.

A retired North Arlington, N.J., police leader, Mr. Zadroga was once instrumental within the passage by way of Congress in 2010 of the James Zadroga 9/11 Well being and Reimbursement Act, which supplies federal scientific advantages, together with tracking and remedy, to cops, firefighters and emergency scientific employees who changed into unwell because of their publicity to the contaminants within the aftermath of the 2001 devastation in Decrease Big apple. Mr. Zadroga and others effectively driven Congress to reauthorize the regulation in 2015.

The loss of life of his son James was once the primary loss of life of a public worker that was once formally connected by way of an post-mortem to time spent by way of an emergency employee at floor 0.

James Zadroga died in 2006, at 34, after passing some 500 hours engaged in restoration efforts at what changed into referred to as the Pile. By way of the next Would possibly, after sifting the rubble for human stays, employees had got rid of 1.8 million lots of tangled wreckage. He ultimately certified for incapacity pension advantages and won a one-time fee to hide misplaced source of revenue from the federal government repayment fund that expired in 2003.

His loss of life got here a 12 months after his spouse, Rhonda, died of a middle assault, which left him to lift their 4-year-old daughter, Tyler Ann. She was once orphaned when he died bringing her a toddler bottle, and he or she was once introduced up by way of his folks, his brother and his sister-in-law.

“I simply need everyone in the market, the sufferers who were given in poor health, to have the well being care that they deserve, as a result of Jimmy didn’t get it,” Joseph Zadroga mentioned at a rally in 2014.

Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Affiliation, New York Town’s biggest cops’ union, mentioned in a remark: “Joseph Zadroga took on a battle that no father will have to have to stand. However he fought for his hero son with implausible braveness and helped each unmarried 9/11 responder within the procedure.”

After his son died, Mr. Zadroga was once invited by way of Consultant Carolyn Maloney, a Big apple Democrat, to testify sooner than Congress, and he helped mount a national marketing campaign for the well being care regulation that was once supported by way of the comic and communicate display host Jon Stewart and different celebrities.

In his testimony, Ms. Zadroga quoted from a letter written by way of his son: “Everybody praises the useless as heroes, as they will have to, however there are extra dwelling struggling than useless.”

The Ocean County coroner had initially discovered that James Zadroga died of “breathing failure” attributable to a “historical past of publicity to poisonous fumes and dusts.”

However a few 12 months and a part later, New York Town’s leader scientific examiner, Charles S. Hirsch, concluded that the debris in his lungs had been from the abuse of prescribed drugs. (His circle of relatives mentioned that if he had taken painkillers, it was once as a result of he discovered it an increasing number of painful to respire.) A 3rd opinion, by way of Dr. Michael Baden, who were the town’s leader scientific examiner within the past due Seventies, supported the coroner’s authentic discovering.

The conflicting evaluations entangled Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who recommended Dr. Hirsch’s conclusion and mentioned: “We would have liked to have a hero, and there are many heroes. It’s simply on this case, science says this was once no longer a hero.” The mayor later apologized, announcing, “I consider that James Zadroga was once a hero for the best way he lived, without reference to the best way that he died.”

James Zadroga isn’t indexed at the 9/11 memorial.

Joseph Charles Zadroga was once born on April 2, 1947, in Newark. His father, Charles, labored for RCA. His mom, Ann (Czyc) Zadroga, ran the family.

After graduating from North Arlington Prime Faculty, Joseph earned a bachelor’s stage in felony justice from William Paterson Faculty (now William Paterson College) in Wayne, N.J., and a grasp’s in emergency control from Fairleigh Dickinson College. He served within the Military in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968.

Along with his spouse, Linda (Baczewski) Zadroga, and his son, Mr. Zadroga is survived by way of his sister, Paula Bates, and two grandchildren.

Joseph Zadroga labored for the North Arlington Police Division from 1970 till 1997, when he retired as leader. He later taught on the Bergen County Police Academy. Tattooed on his forearm had been a crucifix, his son’s title and the phrases “No longer Forgotten.”

“Joe became his son’s tragedy into one thing that truly helped such a lot of other folks,” Michael Barasch, who was once James Zadroga’s attorney, instructed northjersey.com, including that James “didn’t die in useless, as a result of the post-mortem his folks ordered.”

“With out that,” he mentioned, “we’d have by no means had the proof to get Congress to behave.”