Lawsuit settled over 2018 train derailment, oil spill in northwest Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A lawsuit has been settled between northwest Iowa landowners and BNSF Railway over a 2018 train derailment and oil spill.

Plaintiffs Phillip Kooima, Krisi Kooima, John Kooima, Helen Kooima, and the four trusts in which they are each the trustees filed the lawsuit against the railway , asking for actual damages and punitive damages.

According to court documents, a settlement had been agreed upon on Jan. 17 with the case being dismissed with prejudice on Feb. 13. Details of the settlement have not been provided.

The lawsuit was initially filed in Lyon County as a district court case but was later moved to federal court.

On the morning of June 22, 2018, a train owned by BNSF carrying more than 30 cars of crude oil derailed just south of the community of Doon, Iowa. Some of the cars were compromised and leaked oil into floodwaters in Lyon County. The derailment and oil spill also forced the evacuations of several farms in the area.

According to the lawsuit , the derailment caused 160,000 gallons of tar sand oil to spill into the waters, flooding the train tracks. The National Transportation Safety Board found that speed was not a factor in the derailment. Instead, over 48 hours of heavy rain washed out the tracks.

Multiple agencies responded to the derailment and assisted in cleaning up the spill.

The plaintiffs own approximately 464 acres of farmland in Lyon County that was damaged by the oil spill.

In December 2021, BNSF Railway agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement to the Environmental Protection Agency.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com.