Train Accidents Help
July 26, 2009Residents seek class action status for toxic exposure from Ohio railroad crash
Attorneys representing a group of Ohio residents in their lawsuit against the CSX railroad company are expected to seek class action status on behalf of hundreds who were affected by an October 2007 train crash. Approximately 1,300 residents of Mentor and Painesville, Ohio were evacuated from their homes when a CSX train crashed and spilled several toxic chemicals near its tracks.
On October 10, 2007, a 112-car CSX train derailed and caught fire near Mentor and Painesville, burning for more than a week. CSX later admitted that improper maintenance of the railroad tracks led to the crash, including installing the wrong sized railing during a repair. An investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Board also found that poor track maintenance caused the crash.
Eight of the cars involved in the train accident were carrying toxic chemicals, which caught fire after the crash. These included ethanol and a chemical used to make plastics called phthalic anhydride, which can cause burning if inhaled and skin irritation.
Attorneys will seek class action status on behalf of 1,300 nearby residents who were evacuated from their homes for several days after the railroad accident. The residents say that they should receive compensatory damages for any illnesses they suffered as a result of toxic railroad exposure, as well as punitive damages. The lawsuits also request that the court to order a testing program to monitor the future health of nearby residents.