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Posted: 2024-04-10T22:00:09Z | Updated: 2024-04-10T22:02:12Z

Rail giant Norfolk Southern announced on Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $600 million to settle consolidated class action lawsuits stemming from the fiery derailment of one of its freight trains in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.

The money reportedly the largest-ever settlement for a derailment accident in the U.S. will go to residents, property owners and businesses located within 20 miles of the derailment site. The deal also includes a separate process for personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius.

The four lead attorneys for the plaintiffs told reporters during a press call Wednesday that the deal is an outstanding result for East Palestine and surrounding communities and that their clients in the civil case are all very pleased with the outcome. Norfolk Southern admits no liability, wrongdoing or fault as part of the deal.

We feel that the components accurately reflect what the community is looking for and what they deserve, said attorney Elizabeth Graham. The money getting it to them at this point and getting it to them quickly was a concern that we heard over and over again from our clients in the community.

Many of the details still have to be worked out, including an allocation formula to determine who receives what. But some area residents and close observers were quick to dismiss the sum as insufficient, given the potential long-term health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals.

A few days after the train derailed, Norfolk Southern intentionally torched five tanker cars full of vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing chemical used to make plastic, that released massive amounts of noxious smoke into the environment.