Second class action suit filed over Ohio train derailment
A second lawsuit was filed requesting medical monitoring and compensation for those within a 30-mile radius of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment and controlled burn in East Palestine, Ohio.
Areas of Butler County are within the 30-mile radius.
Portions of Cranberry and Slippery Rock townships, Mars, Prospect and Zelienople boroughs are shown on the map used in the class-action lawsuit, which was filed against Norfolk Southern Railway.
The second lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by Aysia Canterbury of Columbiana County, Ohio, and Lisa Sodergen of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. It alleges that they, along with other residents, have experienced health issues from the controlled burn of vinyl chloride from the derailment.
The health issues cited include irritation to throats, eyes, lungs, mouth and lips, documents said. Canterbury and Sodergen also said their properties were affected by “toxic black smoke” from the “million pound chemical burn pit.”
Vinyl chloride is used to make hard plastic resin and is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“Instead of properly containing and cleaning up its mess, and being responsible for a costly cleanup effort, Norfolk Southern had a different idea: ‘Set it on Fire,’” the suit reads.
In their suit, Canterbury and Sodergen are seeking relief in the form of a medical monitoring program for residents within the 30-mile radius of the site and an amount “determined just and reasonable” for compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages.
