Personal injury payments begin in East Palestine derailment settlement

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WOIO) - Personal injury payments are hitting the mail in the $600M settlement related to the East Palestine train derailment.

Settlement administrator Epiq says initial, partial payments were mailed Monday and Tuesday regarding personal injury claims.

This recent distribution only includes those who have not previously received personal injury payments.

The settlement website says parties with rejected or deficient claims will not be paid at this time. Epiq says cases are still undergoing review, and those involved should take note of deadlines.

According to Epiq, approved personal injury claims should be paid out by March 31, 2026.

Payments for direct claims, however, are expected in May or June 2026. That’s due to ongoing litigation and court appeals.

A Norfolk Southern train derailed on Feb. 3, 2023 in East Palestine.

Three days later, there was a controlled explosion of five railroad cars carrying the dangerous chemical vinyl chloride.

After the explosion, the chemicals were directed in a trench and set on fire.

In September 2024, a federal judge approved the class action lawsuit settlement.

The agreement will pay anyone who chooses to file within a 20-mile radius of the crash, and pay the personal injury claims for anyone within a 10-mile radius.