Category: East Palestine Train Derailment

Ohio Files Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern Over Toxic Train Derailment

Citing his concern that Norfolk Southern Railway’s accident rate has increased 80 percent over the past 10 years, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that his office has filed a 58-count civil lawsuit in federal court over the company’s Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine. Norfolk Southern violated numerous state and federal laws, caused the…


Partisan Divide Evident About Ohio Toxic Train Derailment Response

Legislators on both sides of the aisle have widely criticized the Biden administration for its response to Norfolk Southern’s toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3. Partisan divide about the topic was evident on March 9 at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to explore the crash that occurred in…


Norfolk Southern CEO Repeatedly Apologizes For Ohio Toxic Train Crash, Defends Safety Record in Senate Hearing

Scrutinized by lawmakers during a Senate committee hearing about railroad safety on March 9, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw apologized multiple times for his company’s Feb. 3 toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, while repeatedly defending the railroad’s safety record. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to explore the crash that occurred…


National Transportation Safety Board Opens Special Investigation Into Norfolk Southern ‘Safety Culture’

Prompted by a string of “five significant accidents” involving Norfolk Southern Railway, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on March 7 that it is opening a special investigation of the company’s “organization and safety culture.” “Given the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents, the NTSB also urges the company to take immediate…


Norfolk Southern Employee Killed When Train Collides With Dump Truck in Cleveland

A Norfolk Southern Railway employee was killed on March 7 when a freight train collided with a dump truck in Cleveland, Ohio. Louis Shuster, a Norfolk Southern conductor, “was fatally injured early Tuesday morning at the Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works property in Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, officials are reporting that the conductor was struck by…


Norfolk Southern Announces Safety Plan Amid Train Derailment Aftermath

Plagued by repeated freight train derailments, including a toxic crash in eastern Ohio in early February and another accident in southwest Ohio outside of Springfield on March 4, Norfolk Southern Railway introduced a six-point plan on March 6 “to immediately enhance the safety of its operations.” The plan is based on the National Transportation Safety…


Railroad Offers Temporary Help to Residents Impacted by Ohio Toxic Train Derailment

As cleanup continues more than a month after one of its freight trains derailed in East Palestine, Norfolk Southern Railway said it will pay for residents who live within a mile of the accident site to temporarily relocate. “As soil work continues at Norfolk Southern’s derailment site, some residents close to the derailment site may…


Another Ohio Train Derailment Adds to Norfolk Southern’s Safety Record Woes

The accident record of Norfolk Southern Railway grew longer after another of its trains derailed outside of Springfield, Ohio, on March 4. Norfolk Southern confirmed in a statement that 20 cars of a 212-car train veered off the tracks around 5 p.m. near the Clark County Fairgrounds. Residents within 1,000 feet of the crash were…


Senators Call For Health Monitoring of Residents Exposed to Ohio Toxic Train Crash

Ohio’s U.S. Senators J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown teamed up to write a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to immediately start health screenings for residents in the aftermath of the East Palestine toxic train derailment. After the Feb. 3 crash and subsequent fire, more than 4,700…


Shipment of Contaminated Waste Resumes From Ohio Toxic Train Derailment Site

After halting the process on Feb. 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that shipment of contaminated waste from the toxic train derailment site in eastern Ohio could resume on Feb. 28. Amid objections from Michigan authorities who said they weren’t aware that hazardous materials were headed into their state, the EPA ordered a temporary…