Ohio residents sue Norfolk Southern over property values, contamination after train derailment

Norfolk Southern train derailment class action lawsuits overview: 

• Who: Consumers filed multiple class action lawsuits against Norfolk Southern Railway in response to a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 3 that led to a spill of hazardous chemicals. 
• Why: Plaintiffs claim Norfolk Southern bears responsibility for the train derailment, which they argue contaminated air, soil and groundwater in the area and decreased property values.
• Where: The Norfolk Southern train derailment happened in East Palestine, Ohio.

Consumers filed multiple class action lawsuits against Norfolk Southern Railway in the wake of a Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that spilled toxic chemicals into the environment and prompted fears of contamination. 

Norfolk Southern is accused of bearing responsibility for the train derailment and allegedly mishandling the situation by burning off the chemicals, including vinyl chloride, into the environment. 

Ohio residents who live near the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment also argued they were injured by being forced to evacuate following the incident and that their property values have decreased in the wake of it. 

Norfolk Southern train derailment caused Ohio residents to suffer mental, physical damages, class action says

A group of Ohio residents filed a complaint against Norfolk Southern last month over claims the railway bears responsibility for the train derailment, which they argue has caused them both mental and physical damages. 

The Ohio residents claim the Norfolk Southern train derailment contaminated the area of East Palestine, Ohio, with millions of pounds of hazardous chemicals and decreased the value of their properties as a result. 

Ohio residents also accused Norfolk Southern of making the situation worse by allegedly diverting vinyl chloride that was spilled during the incident into a trench and burning it off into the environment. 

“The fire raged for days, covering local properties in a large plume of thick black smoke and dispersing toxic chemicals for miles” the Norfolk Southern class action states. 

The Ohio residents argue the smoke from the fire caused “widespread anxiety, panic and fear about potentially dire health consequences.” 

Norfolk Southern accused of being responsible for ‘catastrophic’ train derailment

A pair of Ohio residents filed a separate class action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern last month by a pair of Ohio residents, arguing the railway was responsible for the “catastrophic” train derailment. 

Similar to the other complaint, the pair of residents claim the Norfolk Southern train derailment caused toxic chemicals to be released into the air and contaminate soil and groundwater in the area near the derailment site. 

The residents argue further that the Norfolk Southern train derailment forced themselves and thousands of others to evacuate from their homes and decreased the value of the properties they own.

Norfolk Southern is ultimately being accused by the pair of Ohio residents of negligence, trespass and private nuisance. 

Law firms file class actions claiming Norfolk Southern responsible for derailment

A Youngstown, Ohio-based law firm and a Pittsburgh-based law firm filed two additional class action lawsuits against Norfolk Southern, arguing the railway bears responsibility for the Feb. 3 train derailment.  

The Ohio-based law firm claims Norfolk Southern is responsible for the incident and wants to represent a class of Ohio residents who live within 30 miles of the derailment site in East Palestine. 

The Pittsburgh-based law firm, meanwhile, wants to represent a class of any individual harmed by the Norfolk Southern train derailment within a 30-mile radius of the derailment site with the proposed class extending into Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and parts of Allegheny County. 

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to test for toxic pollutants near site of train derailment 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to, under its supervision, test the area around the derailment site for toxic pollutants and compare dioxin levels in the area with those in non-affected areas. 

The EPA says it made the decision to require Norfolk Southern to test the area for toxic pollutants after speaking with residents and community leaders who had been affected by the train derailment. 

Norfolk Southern had previously been ordered by the agency to clean up any contaminated soil and water in the area and to reimburse the agency for costs it incurs while helping with the clean up process. 

The railway was in the news again this month after a pair of new incidents, including another train derailment, this one near Springfield, Ohio, and the death of one of its train conductors at a factory in Ohio. 

Have you been impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailments? Let us know in the comments! 

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