A new lawsuit alleges for the first time that people died because of the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment.

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.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Two years after a Norfolk Southern train derailment spewed a toxic cloud that drove thousands from their homes, freight trains with the same chemicals central to that disaster roll through town — with few steps taken by lawmakers to prevent another disaster.