(The following Associated Press report appeared on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune website on May 3.)
BISMARCK, N.D. — Law firms in Fargo, N.D., and Minneapolis say they have settled the majority of court cases arising from a Canadian Pacific Railroad derailment and chemical spill on the edge of Minot, N.D., five years ago.
Attorneys Mike Miller in Fargo and Gordon Rudd in Minneapolis said Wednesday that their firms have reached personal-injury settlements for 1,000 clients, as well as a class-action settlement for people affected by the derailment who have not filed individual suits. That settlement must still be approved by a judge. Details of the settlements were not released.
The early-morning derailment on Jan. 18, 2002, on the west edge of Minot released a cloud of anhydrous ammonia, a toxic farm fertilizer. One man died trying to escape, and hundreds of other people were treated for burns and breathing problems.
The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that inadequate track maintenance and inspections were to blame, a finding the railroad disputed.