Minot, ND: (Jul-10-07) A class action lawsuit was brought against the Canadian Pacific Railway, following a derailment and chemical spill on the edge of Minot in 2002. The early morning derailment on the west edge of Minot released a cloud of anhydrous ammonia, a toxic farm fertilizer. One man, John Grabinger, died trying to escape and hundreds of other people were treated for burns and breathing problems. The National Transportation Safety Board later stated that inadequate track maintenance and inspections were to blame, a finding the railroad disputed.
In a settlement reached, a federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $7 million class action settlement, which stands to effect about 2,000 or 3,000 people who were in Minot the day of the January 18, 2002, Canadian Pacific wreck. The settlement is for people affected by the derailment who have not filed individual lawsuits, and does not affect the hundreds who have individually sued the Calgary, Alberta-based railroad that has its US headquarters in Minneapolis. [FORBES: TRAIN DERAILMENT]
