[[{“value”:”Norfolk Southern agreed to pay a $600 million settlement for the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February 2023 that exposed the community to highly toxic chemicals.
However, East Palestine residents said the money wouldn’t go far enough to meet medical needs for the entire community.
“It’s not nowhere near my needs, let alone what the health effects are going to be five or 10 years down the road,” one resident, who lived three blocks from the derailment site, said, according to the Associated Press.
“The settlement agreement would provide funds for all class action claims within a 20 mile radius of the derailment, and personal injury claims within a 10 mile radius. The train company will also provide compensation for past, present, and future personal injuries resulting from chemical exposure, the residents’ attorneys said,” journalist Nick Sortor said.
“But there’s still a LOT to be done here, and we must continue to hold Norfolk Southern and the state and federal governments accountable. THIS IS NOT OVER!” he continued.
#BREAKING: EAST PALESTINE, OHIO TO RECEIVE $600 MILLION FROM NORFOLK SOUTHERN
This is a STEP TOWARDS JUSTICE for the great people of East Palestine.
The settlement agreement would provide funds for all class action claims within a 20 mile radius of the derailment, and… pic.twitter.com/aOOtxTUHOC
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 9, 2024
From the Associated Press:
More than three dozen of the freight train’s 149 cars derailed on the outskirts of East Palestine, a town of almost 5,000 residents near the Pennsylvania state line. Several cars spilled a cocktail of hazardous materials that caught fire. Three days later, officials, fearing an explosion, blew open five cars filled with vinyl chloride and burned the toxic chemical — sending thick, black plumes of smoke into the air. Some 1,500 to 2,000 residents were evacuated.
Norfolk Southern said the agreement, if approved by the court, will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile (32-kilometer) radius of the derailment and, for residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of the derailment.
A 20-mile (32-kilometer) radius around the derailment would include not only East Palestine and the people who had to evacuate but also larger towns like East Liverpool and Columbiana, Ohio, and possibly at least part of Youngstown.
The settlement, which doesn’t include or constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing or fault, represents only a small slice of the $3 billion in revenue Norfolk Southern generated just in the first three months of this year.
East Palestine resident Krissy Ferguson called the settlement a “heart-wrenching day.”
WATCH:
US railroad operator Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $600 million to settle a class action lawsuit over a February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals, according to the company and court documents https://t.co/Oz0cYFyV4F pic.twitter.com/yxcXFuMNqb
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 9, 2024
Norfolk Southern Agrees to Pay $600 Million in East Palestine Train Derailment Settlement
The company has ’made commitments to address three long-term concerns of residents: drinking water, home values, and healthcare.’https://t.co/z2SDocYnb4
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) April 9, 2024
Per CNN:
In a court filing Tuesday, the plaintiffs said they expected to file a motion for the judge to approve the settlement within 10 days. Attorneys representing the claimants said they hope to make the claims process easy and efficient and to begin sending out payments by the end of 2024.
“We believe this is a fair, reasonable and adequate result for the community on a number of levels, not the least of which is the speed of the resolution, and the overall amount of the awards residents can expect, which will be significant for those most impacted by the derailment,” said Seth Katz of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, M. Elizabeth Graham of Grant & Eisenhofer, Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy and T. Michael Morgan of Morgan & Morgan, in a combined statement.
Following the February 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment, residents were ordered to evacuate temporarily. State and federal environmental officials say testing shows the air and water in the town is now safe, but some residents still complain of health problems, including burning sensations in their eyes, tingling in their lips, heaviness in their chest and swelling of lymph nodes in their necks and groins.
Since then, the company says it has spent $104 million in community assistance to East Palestine and the surrounding areas, $4.3 million to upgrade the area’s drinking water infrastructure and $500,000 for economic development, among other contributions. East Palestine has a population of 5,000.
But several class-action lawsuits say the company hasn’t done enough to remediate the toxic chemicals released into the area. They also blamed Norfolk Southern for negligence.
Last month, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chair Jennifer Homendy admitted the controlled burn from the Norfolk Southern train disaster was unnecessary.
East Palestine Controlled Burn Unnecessary, NTSB Chair Says
“}]] [[{“value”:”
Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million to settle the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment that occurred in February 2023, which exposed the local community to highly toxic chemicals.
East Palestine residents, however, said that the money would not be enough to cover the medical needs of the entire community.
According to the Associated Press, a resident who lived three blocks away from the site of the derailment said: “It is nowhere near my needs. Let alone what the health impacts will be in five or ten years.”
The settlement agreement will provide funds for class action claims within 20 miles of the derailment and personal injury claims in a 10-mile radius. “The train company will provide compensation for past injuries, present injuries, and future injuries due to chemical exposure,” said journalist Nick Sortor.
“But there is still a lot to do here, and we need to continue to hold Norfolk Southern accountable and the state and federal government accountable. “THIS IS NOT OVER!” He continued.
#BREAKING EAST PALESTINE OHIO TO RECEIVE $60 MILLION FROM NORFOLK SOUTHERN
This is a STEP FORWARDS JUSTICE FOR THE GREAT PEOPLE OF EAST PALESTINIAN.
The settlement agreement would provide funds for all class action claims within a 20 mile radius of the derailment, and… pic.twitter.com/aOOtxTUHOC
Nick Sortor (@nicksortor), April 9, 2024
The Associated Press:
More than 30 of the 149 cars of the freight train derailed near East Palestine, a small town of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border. Several cars spilled hazardous materials which ignited. Three days later, officials blew five cars full of vinyl chloride open and burned it, fearing an explosive explosion. This sent thick black plumes into the air. About 1,500 to 2,050 residents were evacuated.
Norfolk Southern said that if the agreement is approved by the court it will resolve all class-action claims within a radius of 20 miles (32 kilometers) of the derailment. Residents who choose to participate can also file personal injury claims in a radius of 10 miles (16 kilometers) of the derailment.
A 20-mile radius (32-kilometers) around the derailment includes not only East Palestine, but also larger cities like East Liverpool, Columbiana, Ohio and possibly even part of Youngstown.
The settlement does not include or constitute an admission of fault, wrongdoing, or liability. It represents only a small portion of the $3 billion revenue Norfolk Southern generated in the first quarter of this year.
East Palestine resident Krissy Ferguson called the settlement “a heart-wrenching moment.”
WATCH:
US railroad operator Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $600 million to settle a class action lawsuit over a February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals, according to the company and court documents https://t.co/Oz0cYFyV4F pic.twitter.com/yxcXFuMNqb
— Reuters (@Reuters), April 9, 2024
Norfolk Southern agrees to pay $600 million in East Palestine Train Derailment Settlement
The company has ‘made commitments to address three long-term concerns of residents: drinking water, home values, and healthcare.’https://t.co/z2SDocYnb4
The Epoch Times April 9, 2024
CNN:
In a filing filed in court on Tuesday, the plaintiffs stated that they would file a motion asking the judge to approve a settlement within 10 working days. Attorneys for the claimants have said that they want to make the claims processing easy and efficient, and begin sending payments by the end 2024.
In a joint statement, Seth Katz, M. Elizabeth Graham, Jayne Conroy, Simmons Hanly Conroy, and T. Michael Morgan, Morgan & Morgan, all agreed that the result was fair, reasonable, and adequate for the community.
Residents were temporarily evacuated following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train on February 3, 2023. Environmental officials from the state and federal government say that the air and water are now safe in the town. However, some residents still report health problems such as burning sensations, tingling of the lips, heavy chests, and swelling lymph nodes.
The company has said that it has spent $104 millions in community assistance for East Palestine and its surrounding areas. It also says that it has spent $4.3 million upgrading the drinking water infrastructure of the area and $500,000 on economic development. East Palestine is home to 5,000 people.
Several class-action lawsuits claim that the company hasn’t done sufficient to remediate the toxic chemical released into the area. Norfolk Southern was also accused of negligence.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB), admitted last month that the controlled burn caused by the Norfolk Southern train accident was unnecessary.
NTSB Chair: East Palestine Controlled burn is not necessary
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