Torts Keyed to Prosser
Indiana Harbor Belt R.R. Co. v. American Cyanamid Co
ProfessorMelissa A. Hale
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
Defendant was a major manufacturer of chemicals, including acrylonitrile. Acrylonitrile is flammable at temperatures above 30 degrees Fahrenheit, is highly toxic, and possibly carcinogenic. Defendant leased railroad cars to transport acrylonitrile to purchasers. When one of these cars arrived at the Blue Island yard just south of Chicago, it was noticed that acrylonitrile was gushing out of a bottom outlet on the car. Although only about of a quarter of the acrylonitrile escaped, the Illinois Department of Environmental Protection ordered the Plaintiff switching line to take decontamination measures costing $981,022.75. One count of the complaint asserted that the transportation of acrylonitrile in bulk through the Chicago metropolitan area is an abnormally dangerous activity. The trial court found that strict liability applied and granting summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff on that count.
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