Marathon Bombing Victims Bemoan $1.2M Payouts

Paul and JP Norden have shiny new $1.2 million checks, courtesy of the One Fund after they lost their legs in the Boston Marathon bombing, but they're not exactly thrilled about it. The checks are sitting uncashed as the brothers worry about how to spend the money, the Washington Post reports. The cash payouts will kick them off Massachusetts' health care program for the poor, and experts point out that the lifetime cost of maintaining a prosthetic limb could easily exceed even their seven-figure awards.

"People will say stuff: 'Oh, you guys got $1.2 million," JP Norden says. "Did we? Because I know I've got to buy a leg for the rest of my life. I can't go out and buy a house." While the Norden family stresses that they're grateful for the public's generosity, they believe One Fund chief Kenneth Feinberg's disbursement plan was rushed and ill-conceived. The Fund says it has a second disbursement coming, and this time it'll consult each victim on their needs. "There’s no amount of money in the world that’s going to compensate people for losing a limb," the fund's treasurer says. "We never proposed that it would." For more on the Nordens' struggle, check the source. (More One Fund Boston stories.)