| TAMAROA RESIDENTS SUE OVER DERAILMENT |
By Susan Skiles Luke THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Monday, June 23, 2003 TAMAROA (AP) -- About 800 households and businesses in this Perry County town shared nearly $700,000 in compensation after a Canadian National-Illinois Central freight train derailed in February. But hundreds of others say it wasn't enough.
Some 325 residents have joined a class-action lawsuit against Canadian National stemming from the Feb. 9 derailment, which spilled toxic chemicals and caused more than 1,000 people in and around town to be evacuated for up to five days, plaintiffs' lawyer Joseph Leberman said Monday.
"We just want Canadian National to do what's fair," he said.
The lawsuit, which asks for an unspecified amount of compensatory damages, was filed last week in St. Clair County Circuit Court, Leberman said.
The plaintiffs lost everything from the food in their deep freezers to the inventory on their store shelves, Leberman said. Many also have health complaints they want to be compensated for by the company.
Randy Followell said his bait and feed store generates about $150 in income every couple of weeks now, compared with that much every two days before the derailment.
"I'll have to declare bankruptcy in a month if I don't get any money," said Followell, who said he refused the railroad's offer of $350 because it was too little.
He said his best customers got used to buying their supplies elsewhere when he was gone for six days.
Jack Burke, a spokesman for Canadian National, said most in this town of 800 "are overwhelmingly happy with the settlement," as evidenced by the 800 claims the company paid.
Many of the plaintiffs are worried toxins remain in the area.
Initial soil and water tests conducted by a contractor for Canadian National showed no contamination after the methanol, vinyl chloride, hydrochloric acid and formaldehyde were cleaned up at the wreck site, said Dennis McMurray, spokesman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The IEPA is reviewing the company's plan for a second phase of testing over a bigger area to ensure there's still nothing there, he said. The plan is the subject of a consent decree filed with the court, he said.
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