Sorting out the legalities - that will certainly result from the derailment and subsequent explosion of volatile chemicals which were spilled and then exploded in a north Ohio town- may extend well into the future.
In the early morning hours several days previous reports indicate 18 rail cars left the tracks and over three hundred thousand gallons of a volatile chemical (ethanol?) were released. The explosion and fire were so intense that responders could not get within a mile of the flames - which shot several hundred miles in the air.
Families were evacuated - and are just now returning. The Environmental Protection Agency has stepped in to determine whether or not there will be long term contamination of the ground, groundwater, waterways and air.
Unfortunately, all too often, authentic and long term negative effects of chemical spills echo far into the future and the damage it does may not manifest itself for years.
Chemical spills across this country are on the increase in part because there are more and more chemicals that are being transported in trucks and by trains.
Americans rarely give it a thought until a catastrophic event involving chemicals impinges on their lives. At that point it's often too late to do anything more than react by removing yourself and your family from the situation.
But that too, is usually temporary - and a return to the site of the original event could have long-term ramifications on your health and that of your family.
In an era of "anti governmental regulations" some folks tend to forget that every day, regulations protect your family and the community in which you live.
Greg Baumgartner is a Texas personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping injury victims seek civil justice. For a free no obligation consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Texas call the Baumgartner firm.
