On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed after a railcar's wheel bearing overheated, causing a fire. Three days later, officials conducted a "controlled release" of several tank cars that were filled with vinyl chloride, a toxic and flammable gas that can cause certain cancers, to prevent an explosion.

A new lawsuit alleges for the first time that people died because of the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment.

A new lawsuit filed against railway company Norfolk Southern says seven people died as a result of a train derailment in Ohio. On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying industrial chemicals derailed in the small town of East Palestine, according to a civil complaint.