Lever Time When Disaster, Inc. Comes To Town (With Katya Schwenk)
Feb 12, 2026
Katya Schwenk, an investigative reporter who tracked the East Palestine derailment and settlement, walks through the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern disaster. She recounts local health impacts, how the $600 million deal was structured, where money went, settlement administration errors, and legal maneuvers that left many residents waiting for relief.
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Worker's Health Collapsed After Exposure
- Will Schaefer worked near Ground Zero and returned to his job during the evacuation, later suffering rashes, headaches, and seizures.
- He broke his back in a car crash linked to new seizures and now has lasting cognitive issues and disability.
Policy Rollbacks Raised Risk Levels
- Reporting tied the derailment to corporate lobbying that weakened safety rules and longer trains that increase derailment risk.
- Government inaction, including failure to reinstate safety rules, left communities exposed to preventable disasters.
Settlement Structure Skewed Incentives
- Norfolk Southern agreed to a $600 million class settlement but never admitted liability, while the NTSB later found the burn unnecessary.
- One-third of the settlement went to lawyers first, leaving $420 million for claimants and skewing incentives against ensuring payouts.