Residents of Tamaroa v Canadian National Railway
Judge Grants Class Action Status in Tamaroa Derailment Lawsuit
A lawsuit against the Canadian National Railway over a train derailment that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate the southern Illinois town of Tamaroa can continue as a class action case, an appellate court ruled. The railroad had appealed a lower court's ruling that granted class action status to the plaintiffs, which number more than 500, according to the plaintiffs' attorney.
The plaintiffs accuse the company of negligence in the Feb. 9, 2003, derailment in the center of Tamaroa, a town of about 1,000 residents 65 miles southeast of St. Louis. Toxic chemicals aboard the train spilled, forcing hundreds of residents within a three-mile radius to evacuate, some for as many as five days. No one was injured.
Canadian National has said it paid more than 800 households and businesses more than $700,000 in damages in the weeks after the incident.
Hundreds of Tamaroa area residents filed the lawsuit against the railroad seeking compensation for damages they say they suffered as a result of the derailment and spill of hazardous chemicals.
