Residents file suit over NJ train derailment

PAULSBORO, N.J. (AP) -- Fifty-four people are suing Conrail and its parent company CSX over a freight train derailment that released a hazardous chemical in southern New Jersey.

The Paulsboro residents are seeking money as well as medical screening.

The suit was filed in Pennsylvania by a Philadelphia law firm that specializes in environmental litigation.

Officials on Tuesday removed the ruptured tanker car that released vinyl chloride when seven cars of an 84-car train derailed on or near a swivel-style bridge over Mantua Creek on Nov. 30.

The gas, used to make PVC plastic, led to the evacuation of more than 329 families and businesses. No one was seriously sickened, though dozens were checked out at a hospital.

Officials continue removing debris before they can move the remaining derailed rail cars.

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