EAST PALESTINE — Partial payments are beginning to reach residents impacted by the 2023 East Palestine train derailment, more than a year after class counsel promised personal injury compensation would be issued.

According to a statement posted on the settlement website, partial personal injury awards are in the mail. Eastpalestinetrainsettlement.com said checks were scheduled to be mailed Monday and Tuesday to eligible settlement class members who submitted valid and timely personal injury claims and had not previously received payment.

The payments are part of a $600 million class action settlement stemming from the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, including the “controlled vent-and-burn” of five railcars three days later. Residents who lived or worked within 10 miles of the derailment were told personal injury compensation of up to $25,000 per person would be paid by the end of 2024.

That timeline was not met.

Class counsel had encouraged residents to sign onto the personal injury component of the settlement in the summer of 2024, describing the process as quick and timely. However, thousands of claims, administrative complications and repeated delays extended the process well beyond the promised deadline.

In June 2025, U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson removed Kroll as settlement administrator and appointed Epiq as its replacement.

Epiq said the December 2025 checks represent only partial awards. The administrator said it is currently unable to determine the full value of individual personal injury claims, noting that award amounts may be adjusted once its review is complete. The remaining portion of approved personal injury payments is expected to be mailed no later than March 31.

Claimants whose submissions were identified as deficient or rejected will not receive payment as part of the December distribution. Epiq began mailing defect and rejection notices in November and said it will continue issuing notices through January. Claimants must respond by stated deadlines for their claims to be reconsidered for future payment.

Payments related to minors at the time of claim submission, as well as claims involving deceased settlement class members, will not be issued in the December distribution.

Subject to any further appellate review, payments for direct payment claims are expected to be mailed in May or June of 2026.

Plaintiffs allege the derailment caused property damage, lost wages, business losses, displacement expenses, emotional distress, increased risk of disease and diminished property values. Residents claim the released chemicals have already led to a long list of persistent health symptoms including nosebleeds, eye and skin irritation, respiratory ailments and digestive problems with some reporting severe ailments — seizure-like episodes, cognitive issues, heart problems and cancers. Norfolk Southern denies the allegations and any wrongdoing, including violations of law.

Individuals are considered settlement class members if they lived, worked, owned property or owned or operated a business within 20 miles of the derailment site between Feb. 3, 2023, and April 26, 2024. Certain individuals and entities — including Norfolk Southern officers, employees sent to respond to the incident, government agencies, legal counsel and the presiding judge and staff — are excluded.

The settlement website provides details about the case, claim eligibility and deadlines, along with answers to frequently asked questions.