Lawsuits Stacking Up Against Norfolk Southern Over Train Derailment And Chemicals Released

Norfolk Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern Corp. are facing multiple lawsuits, including class-action suits seeking over $5 million in damages, following a train derailment and release of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3.

The suits allege negligence and carelessness on the part of the companies resulting in the derailment and release of chemicals, including cancer-causing vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate.

The suits seek class-action status and join others filed by national law firms such as Morgan & Morgan and local firms like Markovits, Stock & DeMarco.

The derailment involved thirty-eight rail cars on an eastbound general merchandise freight train, eleven of which contained hazardous materials, including chemicals that killed 3,500 fish in nearby streams and spilled into the Ohio River.

The company has not yet commented on the lawsuits. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.