Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Caption:

Texarkana - Lawsuits filed over the 2005 Union Pacific derailment, explosion and chemical leak in Texarkana include one case that claims a second person died as a result of the accident and others that seek damages for thousands of people.

A train from Chicago struck another train, from Pine Bluff, in the Union Pacific yard on the south side of the city, near the police station.

Some of th More..e cars derailed in an accordion effect, piercing a propylene tanker that leaked part of its flammable cargo. Officials said a small propane tank exploded.

Sixty-two-year-old Pearlie Mae Marshall died when the explosion destroyed her home. A suit filed over Marshall’s death was settled for $2 million.

Other people complained of respiratory problems and hundreds of homes and a jail were evacuated.

One of the lawsuits names the family of Norma Sims as plaintiffs and alleges Sims died 10 days after the collision because of the fumes she inhaled.

Union Pacific says it has settled numerous suits by evacuees and is hoping to settle more.