KEYTESVILLE, Mo. — Amtrak and BNSF have requested a change of venue for state lawsuits resulting from June’s fatal derailment of the Southwest Chief.
KMIZ-TV reports the companies are asking that at least three suits be moved from Chariton County — site of the accident near Mendon, Mo., that killed four people — under a Missouri Supreme Court rule that allows moves for such cases in counties with fewer than 75,000 residents. Chariton County’s population was about 7,400 as of the 2020 census.
Amtrak and BNSF are asking the case be moved to Sullivan County, a similarly small county (population 5,999) in the north-central portion of the state. The courthouse in its county seat, Milan, is about 50 miles north of the accident site.
Simple at 7499 residents, there is probably no one who is qualified to serve on the jury who does not know what happened. In addition, being a small county, they probably know all the pros and cons of how BNSF and Amtrak were operating their trains. Such as the fact that the country and railroad knew about the hazardous conditions at the grade crossing which impaired lear vision to see trains that are traveling at 70mph.
My 2 favorites are “Solitary, Poor, Nasty, Brutish, and Short”, and “Scurvy, Scheister (‘shy-ster’), and Bastard”.
I think the 3 Stooges short used “Dewey, Gypm, and Howe” as the law firm name. Not sure how they spelled “Gypm” but you get the point.
Dewey, Cheatham & Howe
I concur. They want a change of venue because the original county was too small, then they propose a county that’s even smaller. Who are their attorneys, Howard, Fine and Howard?
(change of venue)…….What are they up to now? 75,000 populated, protocol. Now Chariton does not muster that criteria, BUT the chosen is less than this and was disqualified. I say again, “What are they up to now?” endmrw1118221102