Another Norfolk Southern train has derailed in Ohio, no injuries reported

This weekend, another train derailment struck the state of Ohio just one month after a catastrophic accident released toxic chemicals into a community in the Buckeye State, leaving residents sick and scared.

The latest derailment of a train run by the company occurred in Springfield on Saturday around 5pm near the Clark County Fairgrounds. The train was carrying cargo, as opposed to the train carrying hazardous materials that derailed in early February in East Palestine. Norfolk Southern claims no toxic or hazardous materials have leaked from the newest derailment, but residents and local leaders are not convinced. 

“I’m not entirely satisfied, because I want to know [if there] are some sort of remnants of something that might have been in those cars,” said Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) during an appearance on ABC’s This Week. “Those cars were mostly empty. But I want to know if there are any contaminants sort of left in those mostly empty cars that might have affected Clark County near the fairgrounds, all the way into Springfield.”

According to Norfolk Southern, 28 of the train’s 128 cars derailed in the accident on Saturday. The company has assigned a liaison to the community of East Palestine to help bridge the communication gap between Norfolk Southern and local residents, who gathered at a town hall this week to demand answers from a company representative about whether their community is actually safe following the chemical leak last month. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has vowed the company will stay in the area “as long as it takes.”