SEACLIFF : Cleanup Worker Sues Railroad

A day laborer who helped clean up after a July 28 derailment at Seacliff sued the Southern Pacific Railroad on Monday, charging that he was doused with toxic hydrazine and will probably develop cancer.

The suit, filed in Ventura County Superior Court by Carlos Banales of Oxnard, says the injuries occurred on Aug. 1, after railroad officials announced that the spilled chemicals had been removed. Eight 55-gallon drums of cancer-causing hydrazine had been spilled during the derailment and another 15 drums were punctured, according to Southern Pacific.

Banales, 29, was one of several day laborers who were brought in to help clear the remaining debris, the suit says. Southern Pacific officials ordered Banales to enter an overturned boxcar and did not provide him with the protective clothing worn by workers in the early stages of the cleanup, according to the suit. Inside the car, Banales was sprayed with hydrazine, which soaked his shirt, pants and shoes, according to the suit.

“He got hit pretty good,” said Banales’ attorney, Donald M. Adams Jr. of Ventura. “They just sent him into an overturned boxcar without inspecting to see that the area was safe.”

Southern Pacific representatives could not be reached for comment.

Banales was hosed down at the scene and then taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was released after about six hours, the attorney said.

Banales, who does not have health insurance, has had respiratory problems and is afraid that he will develop cancer, Adams said.