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 has been filed alleging for the first time that the February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment resulted in deaths, according to The Associated Press.

The Village of East Palestine and Norfolk Southern have announced a $22 million settlement resolving all of the village’s claims arising from a disastrous train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in 2023.