Norfolk Southern Agrees to Pay $600M After Train Derailment as Residents Voice Concerns: 'People Are Still Sick'

The settlement comes 14 months after the freight train derailed in the small Ohio town, causing chemicals to spill into the community

• Norfolk Southern, the rail company involved in the Feb. 2023 train derailment in Ohio, has agreed to a $600 million settlement for class actions lawsuits connected to the disaster

• The settlement will resolve the class action suits filed by those who live within a 20-mile radius of the derailment, including personal injury claims for those within 10 miles

• The rail company said it is committed to addressing three "long-term concerns” following the derailment — drinking water, home values, and healthcare

Norfolk Southern has agreed to a $600 million settlement to resolve a group of class action lawsuits connected with the freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in Feb. 2023.

Both the rail company and attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the settlement on Tuesday, April 9, more than a year after the derailment caused harmful chemicals to spill from the train and into the community.

The agreement, which does not "include or constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing, or fault" and must still be approved by a court, “will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment” and personal injury claims for those located within a 10-mile radius of the derailment, according to Norfolk Southern.

The settlement will provide payment "to residents and businesses in East Palestine and the affected surrounding communities," attorneys for the plaintiffs said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

“We believe this is a fair, reasonable and adequate result for the community on a number of levels, not the least of which is the speed of the resolution, and the overall amount of the awards residents can expect, which will be significant for those most impacted by the derailment,” said Seth A. Katz, M. Elizabeth Graham, Jayne Conroy and T. Michael Morgan in the joint statement.

Related: Ohio Train Derailment Killed Over 43,000 Animals, Officials Estimate

The settlement comes over a year after Norfolk Southern promised to “address three long-term concerns of residents” — drinking water, home values, and healthcare — following the derailment, according to the rail company.

Those who are compensated through the multi-million dollar settlement will be able to use the funds “in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment,” according to Norfolk Southern.

"This could include healthcare needs and medical monitoring, property restoration and diminution, and compensation for any net business loss," the rail company said, adding that "this settlement furthers the work Norfolk Southern has done to make it right in East Palestine and the surrounding communities."

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they "want to make the claims process as easy and efficient as possible, with the hopes of getting initial payments out by the end of this year."

However, some locals have expressed concern that after the money won't begin to come close to addressing their long-term health needs.

“What goes through my head is, after all the lawyers are paid and the legal fees are accounted for, how much funding will be provided for families?" resident Misti Allison told the Associated Press. "And is that going to be enough for any of these potential damages moving forward?”

In the opinion of Krissy Ferguson, who told the news agency that "people are still sick" while contamination continues to flow "down the creeks," the settlement represented "an easy way out."

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The recently-announced settlement is expected to be submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio for preliminary approval later in April, according to Norfolk Southern. 

Related: What to Know About the Ohio Train Derailment and Chemical Spill: A Timeline of Events

Those participating in the class action lawsuits should receive additional details about the settlement in the near future, per the rail company.

Norfolk Southern noted the settlement “does not include or constitute any admission of liability, wrongdoing, or fault” in connection with the derailment.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs expect to request a judge to approve the amount no later than April 19, according to NBC News.

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