Technological accident, community class-action litigation, and scientific damage assessment

A train carrying various regulated hazardous and toxic chemical commodities derailed in Livingston, Louisiana, on September 28, 1982. The resulting fires and explosions necessitated a 14‐day evacuation of over 3,000 residents and precipitated a class‐action lawsuit against the railroad. The court ordered, on its behalf, an independent assessment of the ecological, physical, economic, sociological, and psychological damages resulting from the derailment and subsequent events. These assessments, delayed by legal appeals, began in December 1983 and continued until February 1985. The ecological damage assessment was accomplished by general and quality assurance audits of the records of the railroad's cleanup contractor with the cooperation of the railroad and its contractor and by reviewing the records of the Louisiana health and environmental agencies. The economic, sociological, and psychological damage assessments were accomplished using a common survey instrument administered to a statistically chosen sample of the evacuated residents. The studies showed that the physical damage was surprisingly small, considering the magnitude of the event; evacuated residents were significantly stressed; and there were negative social impacts. After a tentative settlement was reached, the findings of the court's experts were released through participation in a unique court hearing utilizing a panel discussion under oath, with panel members subject to cross‐examination. This procedure resulted in a final settlement agreement, which was informed by an interdisciplinary scientific damage assessment

Audit · Business · Class action · Damages · Forensic engineering · Lawsuit · Political science · Engineering · Law · Occupational Health and Safety Research · Psychology · Regulation and Compliance Studies · Risk and Safety Analysis · Accounting

• Disaster, Litigation, and the Corrosive Community

  J Steven Picou, Brent K Marshall et al.•Social Forces•2004

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• Coping with technological disaster

  Open Access•Catalina M Arata, J Steven Picou et al.•Journal of Traumatic Stress•2000

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• Contemporary Conceptions of Environmental Risk

  Open Access•J Steven Picou, Brent K Marshall•Sociological Practice•2002

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• The “Talking Circle” as Sociological Practice

  Open Access•J Steven Picou•Sociological Practice•2000

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• Mitigating Litigating

  Open Access•Liesel Ashley Ritchie, Duane A Gill et al.•Risk Analysis•2018

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• Weight and weightlessness

  Michael R Edelstein•Impact Assessment and Project…•2003

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• Technological disaster and chronic community stress

  Duane A Gill, J Steven Picou•Society & Natural Resources•1998

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• Sociology and the environment

  Open Access•Naomi Krogman, Naomi T Krogman et al.•The American Sociologist•1996

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• Technological Disasters, Litigation Stress, and the Use of Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

  Open Access•Brent K Marshall, J Steven Picou et al.•Law & Policy•2004

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• Communities, Policy and Chronic Technological Disasters

  Open Access•Robert Gramling, Naomi Krogman•Current Sociology•1997

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• Economic impact of an environmental accident

  Maurie J Cohen•Sociological Spectrum•1993

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• Secondary Trauma or Secondary Disaster? Insights From Hurricane Katrina

  Duane A Gill•Sociological Spectrum•2007

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• Handbook of Environmental Sociology

  Open Access•Beth Schaefer Caniglia, Andrew Jorgenson et al.•Handbook of Environmental Sociology•2021

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• The psychological effects of ionizing radiation

  Open Access•Henry M Vyner•Culture Medicine and Psychiatry•1983

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• No Safe Place

  Russell A Stone, Phil Brown et al.•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1991

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• Love Canal

  Lee Clarke, Adeline Gordon Levine•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1983

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• Psychosocial Effects of Hazardous Toxic Waste Disposal on Communities

  Dennis S Mileti, Dennis L Peck•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1990

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• Everything in Its Path

  D J Amaral, Kai T Erikson et al.•Economic Geography•1979

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• No Safe Place

  A Mazur, Phil Brown et al.•Social Forces•1991

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• Attitudes and Stress in the Presence of Technological Risk

  William R Freudenburg, Timothy R Jones•Social Forces•1991

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• The Impacts of an Oil Spill

  John Omohundro, John T Omohundro•Human Organization•1982

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• Social disruption and the Valdez oil spill

  Christopher L Dyer, Duane A Gill et al.•Sociological Spectrum•1992

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