(The Associated Press distributed the following article on July 21.)
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in federal court here against the Canadian Pacific Railway over a 2002 derailment that spilled anhydrous ammonia west of Minot, N.D.
The Canadian Pacific train derailed Jan. 18, 2002, spilling thousands of gallons of the fertilizer and sending a deadly cloud of gas over Minot. One man was killed and more than 300 others were injured.
About 30 lawsuits have been filed so far in federal court in St. Paul. Sixty other lawsuits filed in Minneapolis are expected to be transferred to federal court, court officials said.
Plaintiffs in each lawsuit are seeking at least $50,000 from the Canadian Pacific, which is based in Calgary, Alberta, and has a subsidiary, Soo Line Railroad Co., in Minneapolis.
Railroad officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board, in a report released in March, found inadequate inspection and maintenance at the track where the train derailed. Canadian Pacific disputed the report and said its North Dakota tracks are safe.
Minot resident Tom Lundeen and his family, who are among those suing the railroad, say they were forced from their homes for about three months because of air and soil pollution.
MeLea Grabinger, whose husband, John, 38, died after the derailment, filed wrongful death lawsuits earlier against the railroad, its subsidiaries and tank car manufacturers, seeking more than $75,000 and a jury trial. Officials said John Grabinger was overcome by the spilled ammonia after a tanker car landed near his back yard.