Court Watch, Featured - Wednesday, November 5, 2008 9:57 - 0 Comments

Settlement reached in Kentucky train wreck

A federal class-action lawsuit over a fiery train derailment in Bullitt County, Kentucky in January 2007 has been settled for $3 million. There are about 17,000 people eligible for claims, but no person in the lawsuit can receive more than $10,000. The lawsuit, filed shortly after the crash, claimed that CSX Transportation was responsible for the derailment and that the railroad failed to warn residents of possible danger quickly enough after the derailment. A combustion plume spread throughout neighboring communities, resulting in chaos, fear and evacuation. During the incident, about 500 residents were evacuated, some people were taken to hospitals, and thick, black smoke spread for miles. The train was carrying chemicals considered hazardous. Some residents went to the hospital complaining of breathing problems. General Electric was added as a defendant in the case after CSX claimed that a defect in a derailed GE-owned railcar caused the accident.

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