Lawsuit filed 
in Rockford train derailment

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ROCKFORD – Environmental cleanup efforts in Rockford continue following last month’s fiery derailment that leaked ethanol into the soil and water, and killed one woman.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joseph Bruscato on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Chicago, Central&Pacific Railroad Company. The lawsuit alleges the environment and people in the area were endangered by the ethanol.

Fourteen tank cars of the 114-car train, each containing 30,000 gallons of ethanol, derailed. Twelve of those cars caught fire, consuming an estimated 360,000 gallons of the ethanol. The two other derailed tank cars did not burn but were damaged and spilled approximately 55,000 to 75,000 gallons of ethanol into the surrounding soil and into an unnamed creek, which is a tributary to the Kishwaukee River, potentially affecting groundwater and surface water.

A court-ordered settlement of the lawsuit also filed. It says the railroad company will survey the area and cleanup any environmental damage discovered. The railroad company faces fines if the agreement isn’t followed.

The Court has scheduled a status hearing on the case at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 in Winnebago County Circuit Court.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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