SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Landowners who sued BNSF Railway last year over damages from a 2018 derailment near Doon, Iowa, have settled the lawsuit against the railroad, the Sioux City Journal reports.
Phillip, Kirsti, John, and Helen Kooima of Rock Valley, Iowa sued the railroad for negligence over a June 22, 2018, incident that saw 33 cars of the 110-car unit oil train derail, with 10 spilling approximately 160,000 gallons of oil. The Kooimas claimed that the 464 acres they own at the site suffered “severe, permanent, and disabling” damage, and they were continuing to spend money to counter that damage [see “Landowners sue BNSF over damage …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 9, 2023]. BNSF paid the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over water violations resulting from the spilled oil [see “BNSF to pay $1.5 million …,” News Wire, Dec. 17, 2021].
The lawsuit, originally field in Lyon County District Court, was later moved to federal court. The parties filed a joint notice of settlement in January and earlier this week filed a stipulation for dismissal, closing the case. A lawyer for the Kooimas said terms of the settlement are confidential.
