AMITE, La. — The tracks through town are long cleared, but hard feelings remain from the Oct. 12 freight train derailment that forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, the Associated Press reported.
At least one lawyer is unhappy over the number of attorneys from outside the area filing class action lawsuits. There has been some criticism of the scope and handling of the evacuation.
Also, some Amite Council members are concerned about the way the Canadian National Railroad is handling the settlement process.
“My understanding of some of the concerns is that some councilmembers don’t believe the railroad people are being fair to the citizens of Amite and others who were affected by the derailment,” town attorney Chuck Reid said this week.
A claims center was set up at City Hall on Tuesday, and 202 claim settlement checks were written to individuals and families that day, according to Ian Thomson, railroad spokesman. The claims center will operate through today and beyond if necessary.
“I think we are certainly trying to address everybody’s concerns as quickly as we can,” Thomson said Thursday. Claims adjusters were nearly overwhelmed Tuesday by the large crowd of waiting claimants, and more people were brought in Wednesday to speed the process.
Twenty-two of the CNR train’s 116 cars derailed. Two cars leaked hydrochloric acid, one leaked styrene monomer and one leaked nitrogen fertilizer, authorities said.
An office next door to City Hall has been leased by attorneys involved in class action lawsuits against the railroad. A sign at the office reads: “Amite Trail Derailment Interview Office.”
Joe Simpson, who lives near the wreck site and is lead attorney in the first class-action suit filed, said the office next to City Hall was set up to accommodate clients and the other attorneys in the suit who have been appointed by the district court as the steering committee.
The sign on the office was not intended to mislead those going to City Hall to settle their claims, he said.
All the lawsuits have been moved to federal court, he said.
Simpson said he’s unhappy with the number of outside attorneys becoming involved.
“These class actions attract lawyers from a wide area,” Simpson said. “It’s really a disgrace to the legal profession.”
The suit he filed along with several other attorneys has signed up more than 1,200 clients thus far which has strained him and his office, he said.
Simpson said that, although his home is located inside the area evacuated, nobody told him to evacuate, and he did not.
“I wasn’t going to let them tell me to leave my five cats and two dogs,” he said.