紐時賞析／美國火車出軌燒出官司財 律師湧入小鎮吸金

In Town Where Train Derailed, Lawyers Are Signing Up Clients in Droves

美火車出軌燒出官司財 律師湧入小鎮吸金

In the four weeks since a freight train derailed in East Palestine and released more than 100,000 gallons of toxic chemicals, lawyers have poured into the little town, signing up clients, gathering evidence and already filing more than a dozen lawsuits in federal court on behalf of local residents.

美國一列貨運火車在俄亥俄州東巴勒斯坦鎮脫軌，釋放超過十萬加侖有毒化學物質。事發四周內，律師湧入小鎮與客戶簽約、蒐證，並已代表當地居民在聯邦法院提出超過十二起訴訟。

Their message overall has been one of warning: It may be months, years or possibly even decades before the derailment’s ultimate effect on people’s health, property values or the soil and water becomes clear.

他們的訊息總體而言是警訊之一：火車脫軌對當地居民健康、財產價值和土壤及水源的最終影響，可能要經過數月、數年甚至數十年才會變得清楚。

Further, the lawyers say, early moves by Norfolk Southern, the operator of the train, suggest that getting comprehensive answers from the company will not be easy.

此外，代表當地居民提出訴訟的律師們表示，脫軌列車營運商諾福克南方鐵路公司在事故發生初期的舉措顯示，要從該公司得到全面的答覆並不容易。

Among a public that is deeply skeptical of official test results — Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and other state and federal officials say they have not shown anything alarming so far — or camera-friendly efforts at reassurance, these warnings have resonated.

共和黨籍俄亥俄州州長狄懷恩和其他州與聯邦官員都說，目前為止官方測試結果都沒有令人憂心的情況，但對官方測試或在鏡頭前發表的安撫言論深感懷疑的大眾而言，這些警訊已經引發了共鳴。

“They get what’s happening,” Rene Rocha, a lawyer with personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan, said during a state hearing about the derailment Thursday in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, just across the border from East Palestine.

在與東巴勒斯坦接壤的賓州比佛郡一場關於脫軌事件的州聽證會上，「摩根與摩根」律師事務所人身傷害律師羅查周四表示：「他們明白發生了什麼事。」

Referring to residents there who had spoken at the hearing about headaches, coughs and other classic symptoms of chemical exposure, he added: “They see they’re not getting the truth from the politicians and the company. That leaves the lawyers.”

羅查提到居民們在聽證會上說，他們出現頭痛、咳嗽和其他暴露在化學物質的典型症狀，他表示：「他們認為自己沒有從政治人物和公司那得到真相。那就讓律師來做。」

The huge scale of the chemical burn-off and the harrowing images of the fire, as well as the intense politicization of it all, have made the derailment in East Palestine among the most high-profile environmental disasters in the country in years.

大規模化學物質燃燒和可怕的火災畫面，加上這一切強烈政治化，已使東巴勒斯坦脫軌事件成為美國近年來最引人注目的環境災難。

The legal machinations are in their early stages. Cases might ultimately be consolidated as class-action or multidistrict litigation; most of the suits will almost surely end up bundled before one or several federal judges in an Ohio courtroom.

法律方面的勾心鬥角還處於早期階段。案件最終可能合併為集體訴訟和多地區訴訟，大多數訴訟幾乎肯定最終會由俄亥俄州法庭一名或多名聯邦法官一併處理。

Norfolk Southern may offer some sort of resolution voluntarily, whether by setting up a compensation fund with an independent administrator or establishing a court-supervised medical monitoring program, where people could come for free testing related to possible health effects.

諾福克南方鐵路公司可能會自願提供某些解決方案，不管是設立有獨立管理人的賠償基金，或建立由法院監管的醫療監測計畫，民眾能就可能發生的健康影響接受免費檢測。

The company has already been paying $1,000 in “inconvenience compensation” to people who had to evacuate. Although Norfolk Southern insists that the payments do not curtail anyone’s right to sue, many are skeptical.

諾福克南方鐵路公司已向被撤離的民眾支付一千美元的「不便補償金」。儘管該公司堅稱，付補償金不會限制任何人提出訴訟的權利，但許多人持懷疑態度。

文／Campbell Robertson　譯／羅方妤