CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Meyers & Flowers, a Chicago Law Firm representing 41 victims of the 47 killed in the Quebec train derailment disaster, supports the findings of the Canadian Transportation Safety Board’s final report released today. The report focused on human error, tank cars, government oversight and corporate negligence of the now defunct Maine, Montreal and Atlantic Railway with a culture of getting the job done over safety.
“We commend the Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, but we feel it was not complete enough; it needs to be expanded to reflect the people and companies we feel are culpable for the Lac-Megantic derailment,” Peter Flowers, Lead Counsel for the families of the 41 victims. “The investigators have not considered a unit of Chicago-based Rail World Inc., World Fuel Services Corp, Western Petroleum Company and Canadian Pacific Rail. These companies should take responsibility for their role in the derailment and be subject to U.S. jurisdiction.”
The TSB investigated the derailment on July 6, last year, when the train, hauling crude from the North Dakota Bakken oil fields, exploded in Lac-Megantic, a lakeside Quebec town and killed 47 people. The 1.46 million gallons of U.S. crude oil in the train tank cars were incorrectly labeled, which resulted in the highly flammable oil carried in the wrong class of tanker that had been reported to release its contents in an accident. Lac-Megantic turned into an inferno when the oil released. As result, the oversight of these mislabels due to the variety of companies involved in the crude transport makes regulations difficult to enforce for safety.
The overarching takeaway from the report is railway regulation and the companies responsible for the transport of oil in America and Canada must be overhauled to ensure safety.
“The report is positive in providing the families a more accurate understanding of the events that led to the derailment tragedy, ” Flowers said. “However, we still have work to do in our case to accurately define what went wrong and name those responsible to obtain compensation for the families of the victims.”
About Meyers & Flowers
Meyers & Flowers is a Top Law Firm in Chicago, boasting experienced, knowledgeable trial attorneys with a long resume of victories and large awards for our clients. Our attorneys have the expertise and experience to pursue the prosecution of large-scale litigation. They have successfully won mass settlement cases against negligent or criminal device manufacturers.
About Peter Flowers
Attorney Peter J. Flowers is partner in the firm of Meyers & Flowers in Chicago. He has represented countless families whose lives have been tragically changed because of medical malpractice, catastrophic injuries from workplace injuries and automobile accidents, and from defective products. His hands-on approach to litigation has earned Flowers tremendous results and numerous honors over the years. He’s been named an Illinois Super Lawyer in the area of medical malpractice, and recognized as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois by his peers, a distinction earned by only 5% of the state’s lawyers. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocate Forum, for resolving many cases in excess of $1 million, and the elite Verdict Club Society, which includes top attorneys from around the United States. Pete is an active member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and over the years has served in a number of leadership positions.