BEAVER COUNTY, Pa (CBS NEWSPATH) — The Blackhawk School District says its challenging rail giant Norfolk Southern following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The school, which is located in Beaver Falls, Pa, is about 12 miles away from where the Norfolk Southern train derailment took place.
Why are they suing?
Their goal is to get Norfolk Southern to “do the right thing” and provide the funds necessary so that the district can continue to safeguard its students and not add an expense to taxpayers.
“So this toxic cloud, the second toxic cloud came upon the Blackhawk School District property and its buildings and the places that are occupied by the almost 2500 kids in the Blackhawk School District and the staff and the parents and people who visit our schools,” Attorney Tom King, who is representing the Blackhawk School District, said.
The lawsuit is demanding Norfolk Southern commit to cleaning up the “lethal cocktail” of chemicals that they are accused of dumping on the district’s properties.
“We’re concerned what effects this toxic clouds have had in the materials in them on our property, on our buildings, on our vents, our air, our water, our quality of life,” King said. “And we believe there should be monitoring going on to ensure the health and safety are maintained of the kids in the Blackhawk School District and that they’re protected from future events in which we have no control no part and weren’t consulted frankly…”
King reiterated that they don’t want taxpayers to have to pay for the cleanup costs and wants to make sure Norfolk Southern is held responsible.
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“We believe that they were negligent with respect to original accident and then the intentional blast of the additional material is something that is being debated everywhere including in the legislature in PA- who pulled the trigger is the question – who made that decision to blow up that additional material and send it hurling into the Blackhawk School District,” King said.