Washington, Feb. 8 Three Ohio residents have launched a class action lawsuit against the Norfolk Southern Railroad for damages caused by the fire and the release of chemical compounds after the derailment of one of its trains last Friday.
Harold Feezle, who owns a business in the area, and David and Susan Scheufele, who reside in the town of East Palestine, on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, filed the lawsuit in Federal Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Norfolk Southern is the operator of the train that transported chemical compounds that after the accident has forced the evacuation of the community for fear of gas explosions and contamination problems.
Residents of numerous homes and business owners within a 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) radius have been evacuated.
On Monday the authorities released toxic material in a controlled manner from several wagons of the damaged train due to the risk of an explosion.
David Scheufele claims, in his lawsuit, that he suffered injuries due to his exposure to fumes released at the crash site, and Susan Scheufele claims that she was harmed because she was forced to evacuate her home.
For his part, Feezle owns a business on State Route 14 and says it was because he was forced to close it.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident. EFE
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