(The following story by Jason Brown appeared on The Advocate website on October 4.)
LAFAYETTE, La. — Another class-action lawsuit has been filed in federal court against a railroad company involved in a May train derailment in Lafayette.
The incident occurred at the Ambassador Caffery Parkway overpass, where an overturned rail car leaked about 10,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 3,000 residents from their homes.
The train was operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, or BNSF.
A number of lawsuits were filed shortly after the incident by law firms in Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
All still are pending in court. BNSF has denied the allegations.
The most recent suit was filed in federal court Thursday and lists 14 plaintiffs in the case.
The law suit involves 11 residents from Scott, two Lafayette residents and one Duson resident.
Lafayette attorney J. Quentin Simon filed the suit.
The suit states that the derailment and subsequent chemical release resulted in the “exposure/potential exposure” of plaintiffs and their property to hazardous chemicals.
The “plaintiffs who were in the area of the derailment and chemical release have a fear that as a result of their exposure they will suffer adverse health consequences in the future,” the suit stated.
The suit alleges negligence and liability on the part of BNSF for faulty equipment and includes claims of inadequate training of employees, lack of enforcement of rules and regulations, and failing to monitor the train.
Simon did not return a call for comment Friday.