Multiple class-action lawsuits filed against Norfolk Southern for train derailment
Editor’s note: This story contains video from previous coverage.
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WOIO) - The Norfolk Southern Railroad Company received multiple class-action lawsuits following last week’s train derailment in East Palestine, according to court records.
The lawsuits claim Norfolk Southern was negligent in maintaining and operating the railways prior to the Feb. 3 incident.
Preliminary investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated a mechanical failure caused the nearly 50-car derailment, according to previous reports.
Twenty of the derailed cars contained vinyl chloride, a toxic, cancer-producing chemical that is mixed with other components to make PVC pipe.
One of the lawsuits says the Virginia-based company is responsible for not immediately informing the public on the presence of the vinyl chloride, which was released in a controlled burn on Monday.
State officials evacuated those living within a 1-mile radius of the original crash site prior to the chemical’s release.
The lawsuits say plaintiffs endured property damage, economic loss, emotional distress, discomfort and inconvenience, among other claims.
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