The process caused practical problems for relatives, as well as emotional distress. “There were life insurance policies they needed to apply for, assets they needed to start to transfer, bank accounts had been frozen – all kinds of things that would pose a problem. And we were being told that it could take months until some of the DNA testing could come back.”
That was why Rullo ended up filling a lawsuit, on behalf of the families, to obtain presumptive death certificates for the passengers of United Flight 93.
“It was something that we wanted to undertake in order to assist these people,” he said. “Many of the people were in need of getting assistance right away, trying to move this thing along and get their lives back in order.”
“We undertook to go ahead and have a hearing, in front of our local court, in which we put up evidence from United Airlines, from the FBI, and the coroner – and the judge issued presumptive death certificates within 30 days from within the date of the crash.”
Coroner Miller knew how to talk to grieving families, while Rullo's focus was on their legal rights and interests. Both men helped one another cope with a situation that challenged their expertise in different ways.
“My involvement with (Miller) was more from the standpoint of making sure that he was able to interact with the governing agencies that were involved – whether it was the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, the FBI, or the state police.”
“He focused on dealing with the families, the grief counseling that they needed, and I dealt with the legal aspects of everything.”
In 2011, ten years after their initial efforts, the two men worked to obtain a court order that would allow families to give the last remains of Flight 93's victims a proper burial.
“Under Pennsylvania law, you had to get court authorization in order to disinter and reinter remains. I had to present a petition with the coroner, to the court, authorizing us to disinter, and getting the appropriate permit to reinter, these individuals.”
Rullo understands the importance of giving the dead a proper burial. The Catholic Church numbers it among the seven “corporal works of mercy,” along with acts such as feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
In retrospect, Rullo is struck by the way that all of Shanksville responded to an unforseeable tragedy.
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“It really became something that the community took to heart,” he said. “There have been volunteers who literally embraced some of these family members, sometimes taking them into their home, getting to know them in a very personal way.”
“These are volunteers who, when we set up a temporary memorial, would man that memorial whether it was rain, snow, or good weather – just to be there, to tell the story when visitors would come through at the site.”