Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern after toxic train derailment
© Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press
This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
Ohio sued Norfolk Southern, the train company responsible for a train derailment in February that forced people from their homes temporarily and could have long-term environmental impacts on the state.
According to The Washington Post, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said during a press conference that the state was pursuing a federal lawsuit and that his state “shouldn’t have to bear the tremendous financial burden of Norfolk Southern’s glaring negligence.”
On Feb. 3, a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Residents were evacuated as officials came in to slowly release and burn the toxic chemicals from the trains carrying hazardous materials in order to avoid an explosion.
RelatedResidents returned to the city once Environmental Protection Agency officials said it should be safe to come back. But residents soon complained of rashes, nausea, headaches and other symptoms they believe stem from the crash.
What is Ohio seeking in Norfolk Southern lawsuit?
The lawsuit from the state was filed Tuesday and lists 58 counts. Ohio is looking to get at least $75,000 in damages, but the amount could increase as cleanup on the disaster continues, per the Post.
“This derailment was entirely avoidable,” Yost said, per CNBC. “The fallout from this highly preventable accident is going to reverberate through Ohio and Ohioans for many years to come.”
RelatedYost also claims the train company has experienced an 80% rise in accidents in the last decade, CNBC reported.
The lawsuit is also looking to make Norfolk Southern “pay for groundwater and soil monitoring in the years ahead and economic losses in the village of East Palestine and surrounding areas,” according to NPR.
Last week, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw went before a Senate committee hearing and apologized for the effects the derailment had caused, Deseret News reported.
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