BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

NTSB to release final report on East Palestine train derailment

  • NTSB's final derailment report expected between June 24 and 25
  • Resident Jamie Wallace's family facing newfound health problems
  • $600M settlement not enough, residents and Ohio AG claim

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

(NewsNation) — East Palestine, Ohio, resident Jamie Wallace says her home, water and town are still contaminated, more than a year after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed.

“Things aren’t good here in East Palestine. They’re not good health-wise, they’re not good with our feeling of safety,” Wallace said.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the derailment is expected to release between June 24 and 25. The findings are preceded by new data revealing 16 states across the country were impacted by fumes burned in the small Ohio town.

“Getting the final reports, I kind of already know what it’s going to say. We already knew that this contamination had gone as far as it did,” Wallace said on “NewsNation Now”.

Her home was chemically contaminated in the derailment, causing her to move 20 miles away. But she claims her family who remained in the town now face unexplainable health problems, including rashes, seizures and fatigue.

“Without stricter railway safety, I don’t think we’re ever going to get to a point where [there] is not a real possibility of this happening in any American’s backyard,” Wallace said.

Rep. Michele Grim, D-Ohio, said the state has passed multiple, bipartisan rail safety laws in the wake of the incident – but more needs to be done.

“Residents have the right to know how this impacts their health, and we need to make sure we’re monitoring that and letting the residents know how it impacts their health and safety,” Grim said.

In April 2024, a federal judge signed off on a $600 million class action settlement, which could resolve claims against the railroad and its fellow defendants.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost shared in a statement that the settlement would “severely undercompensate” the East Palestine community.

“With its decision to reach a settlement now, the DOJ may have sacrificed its opportunity to use the NTSB’s findings to impose maximum leverage on those responsible for any potential wrongdoing. We are reviewing the now-public settlement proposal, but with so much unknown at this time, it is difficult to assess its impact,” the statement reads.

But Wallace said, when that settlement is divided among families and housing provided by Norfolk Southern is subtracted from payout, many of the most impacted families aren’t receiving much.

“It just makes you really suspicious of these attorneys who are going to make millions and leave,” Wallace shared. “And I’m going to still be sitting in a contaminated home.”

Ohio Train Derailment

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

53°F Cloudy Feels like 53°
Wind
3 mph N
Humidity
87%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
52°F Cloudy skies. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph SW
Precip
24%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Crescent