Any info? Any thoughts?
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Norfolk Southern was the carrier, but I'm guessing you mean the owner of the chemicals. They might also have owned the tanker cars.
Yes that's correct. Who paid Norfolk to transport that massive load of toxic material and to where was it intended (if not for a possible planned derailment)
Railcars are generally owned by leasing companies that own the cars and lease to the railroad. I'd imagine this arrangement arose as a way of improving ROIC of the rail companies by offloading a large asset base to a third party. Unclear to me who has ultimate liability in the case of maintenance-related disaster.
https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/railroad-car-rental-leasing-industry/
I wonder though if people dealing in toxic stuff have to own their own cars, or if there is some special arrangement for them.
No the manufacturers don't have to own the shipping containers. It would be no different if you sold a carton of eggs on ebay and they were received broken and 3rd party asks if you or the chicken that made the eggs own or made the box the carton was shipped
Railroads have liability to conduct their business to the appropriate standard of care. Whether they did that or not depends on the circumstances. If, as I have seen elsewhere, they were alerted by some kind of fire or heat sensor but instructed to continue on another 20 miles until implosion, and that ends up the proximate cause of the derailing, they will for sure be liable.
If they were not privy to the type of cargo they were hauling, that can impact whether or not they are liable - assuming it changes the standard of care. Ohio is a comparative negligence state. Which means you are liable for the % of harm a jury assigns to you as fault. You can bet that plaintiffs lawyers will sue anyone that touched that train and let them fight it out. Railroad will likely seek contribution from other possible tortfeasors.