Residents Near Kentucky Train Derailment File Lawsuit

Residents affected by a train derailment and fire that evacuated a small town near Louisville, Ky., have filed a lawsuit against the railroad company and cleanup contractor.

The lawsuit filed in Hardin County names four people who live in or around West Point, where hundreds of residents evacuated on Oct. 31 after an explosion at the site of the derailment.

The suit accuses Paducah & Louisville Railway, CSX and two companies involved in the cleanup of allowing toxic substances to be released into residents’ property and says the companies waited too long to warn residents of the dangers after the blast. The class action suit filed Tuesday could add more residents.

P&L Railway declined to comment Wednesday, saying the company had not seen the lawsuit.