NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- A lawsuit alleging for the first time that people died because of the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment has been filed ahead of Monday's second anniversary of the toxic crash near the U.S. Ohio-Pennsylvania border amid a flurry of new litigation.

On Monday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance is visiting the small community near the crash site that he used to represent as a senator, along with President Donald Trump's newly confirmed head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin.

"It's not yet clear how much pressure the Trump administration will put on the railroads to continue improving safety and whether they will push for the bill Vance co-authored in response to the derailment," reported The Associated Press about the development.

The new lawsuit announced Monday morning contains the first seven wrongful death claims filed against Norfolk Southern railroad, including the death of a one-week-old baby. It also alleges the railroad and its contractors botched the cleanup while officials at the EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on it and failed to adequately warn residents about the health risks.

"Many of the other parties in the lawsuit cite lingering, unexplained health problems along with concerns something more serious could develop," noted the report.

Dozens of rail cars careened off the tracks on Feb. 3, 2023, after an overheating bearing failed. Several cars carrying hazardous materials ruptured and spilled their cargo that caught fire. But the disaster was made worse three days later when officials blew open five tank cars filled with vinyl chloride and burned that toxic plastic ingredient because they feared they would explode. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)