Blog Post

Settlement in Train Accident in Graniteville, South Carolina


April 08, 2008
Topic: Train Accidents

Avondale Mills and Norfolk Southern have settled for an undisclosed amount in lieu of the $420 million that Avondale Mills was claiming. The settlement is related to the train accident in Graniteville, South Carolina in 2005 that Avondale claims led to the closure of its mill.

When the train accident occurred on the night of January 6, 2005, rail cars containing deadly chlorine gas exploded. The gas leaked into the air infiltrating the atmosphere across the part of town close to the mill where people were still soundly asleep. Mill workers sleeping at Graniteville's mill remember waking up to find thick gas seeping into the mill. Apparently, the large ventilator fans had sucked the gas right into the mill. Nine people died, 8 of them as early as within an hour after the incident.

Those who died were mourned by their loved ones, and those who were injured were treated for their injuries, but the town of Graniteville effectively died the day of the accident. The toxic chemical spills that occurred when the rail cars exploded required cleaning up, and most of the mill's 1600+ workers were put to the task. With no workers to run the mill, Avondale had to close it. The mill employed many in the town, and with its closure, Graniteville began slipping slowly into neglect and despair. A group of investors are currently looking at proposals to stimulate economic growth by investing in the area, but as of now unemployment rates are still high. In this town, the boom from the railroad car explosion reverberates still.

At the time of the accident, railroad cars were exempt from safety measures that require notification to local emergency services when hazardous materials were being transported through the area. The Graniteville disaster led to changes in rail safety measures through out the country. The city of Columbia has implemented what it calls a "reverse 911" system that sends warning messages to all telephones in the danger zone. There are also reports that text message providers are also grappling with the technicalities of such a service to cell phone users. Earlier, railroad officials were solely entrusted with safety measures for transport of goods. Now federal officials have taken over many of the procedures, and railroads can be held accountable and liable for non-compliance.

Safety standards for railroad cars containing hazardous material such as those that exploded in Graniteville have been revised, and made more stringent. For citizens of Graniteville who have had their immediate surroundings polluted by the chlorine spill, the US Environmental Protection Agency has announced a grant to conduct an assessment of the soil in and around Graniteville.

While these are all welcome steps, they don't address the immediate desperate needs of the Graniteville people. These are people whose livelihoods have been shattered, and are in danger of falling off the public radar as more and more time goes by, and people forget about the tragedy at Graniteville.

If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in a train wreck, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.