"Twenty-four plaintiffs, including a dozen police officers who rushed to the scene of a November train derailment in Paulsboro, sued on Monday, alleging that the rail company's negligence caused the derailment, and that it downplayed the dangers of a chemical spill and failed to protect responders."

"As a result, the suit says, the plaintiffs have suffered ailments such as breathing problems, headaches, neurological disorders, and elevated blood pressure since the tanker carrying 23,000 gallons of vinyl chloride derailed Nov. 30.

Investigators have determined that the freight train crossed the automated drawbridge over Mantua Creek against a red light after the crew got the go-ahead from a dispatcher. The swing bridge, built in 1873, was not locked in place. It was the scene of a similar derailment in 2009."

Darran Simon reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer May 14, 2013. [2]