They are based upon hypotheticals proposed by professor charles a. Buffalo creek disaster, miscellaneous, free essays. The flood killed 125 of them, injured 1,000, and left 4,000. Although a book for laymen, it is still used in many law school civil procedure courses. This book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. The buffalo creek disaster rent 9780307388490 0307388492. The buffalo creek disaster how the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won by gerald m. The day was february 26, 1972, a day that will live on in the hearts and minds of the victims and survivors of the buffalo creek disaster. The buffalo creek disaster occurred in logan county, west virginia on 26 february 1972 when water and coal mining refuse burst through a dam owned by the buffalo mining company, a subsidiary of the pittston coal company. The buffalo creek disaster book summary images all. No one could be more qualified to write on this topic than. A minewaste impoundment located on the middle fork of the buffalo creek watershed in logan county see figure 11. A blowbyblow account of a landmark lawsuit by the chief attorney for the survivors of the 72 buffalo creek disaster.
The following hypothetical problems are based on the buffalo creek book. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won kindle edition kindle edition, 305 pages authors. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won gerald m. Learn buffalo creek disaster stern with free interactive flashcards. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won author. The management of buffalo creek and that of pittston is highly unethical. Memories of the buffalo creek flood disaster home facebook.
How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the pittston coal company burst, sending a million gallon, 25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing into southern west virginias buffalo creek hollow. One, the buffalo creek disaster, about the case itself, was by jerry stern. The disaster at buffalo creek remains one of americas most. The buffalo creek disaster read a free informative essay. This is the story of their triumph over incredible odds and corporate irresponsibility, as told by gerald m. For the flood that followed the collapse of west virginias buffalo creek dam in 1972.
The buffalo creek flood was a disaster that occurred on february 26, 1972, when the pittston. Sterns lucidity and anger as he details the complex. When operation of the mine commenced in 1945 the practice dumping of slurry, or coal mining waste into. Study buffalo creek disaster flashcards from steve t. Buffalo creek case notes buffalocreeknotes motions.
Pittston moved for summary judgment because pittston is not a proper party, to strike. The collapse of the buffalo creek dam and subsequent flood disaster has received a great. More than thirty years ago, one of the deadliest floods in u. Wvmetronews buffalo creek disaster 45 years ago buffalo creek disaster coal dams fail 1972 the pop the memorial marker at mouth of buffalo creek naming buffalo creek. Negligent strip mining and heavy rain produced a raging flood. Pdf the buffalo creek disaster book part 1 summary. Choose from 44 different sets of buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards on quizlet.
This is seen immediately after the disaster, where the pittston company is claiming the disaster is an act of god, when in fact, it had neglected renovating the dams drainage system. Although this book will give you a summary of this ecological disaster, but it is less about the disaster itself and more about. Rees, in his article, a calendar of buffalo creek hypotheticals for the civil procedure course, 18 ohio n. Porter filed with the court two telephone books worth of victim statements. The governor had tight control over the states judicial system as he had appointed many judges to their positions. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment d. Gerald stern was the lead attorney in the lawsuit that the citizens of buffalo creek brought against the pittston company, and this book is his story of how they took on a corporate giant and, against all the odds, won. Stern, is an account of how the survivors of the worst disasters in coal mining history, picked.
The buffalo creek disaster buffalo creek hollow was a small valley that consisted of about seventeen coal communities which were adjacent to buffalo creek when operation of the mine commenced in 1945 the practice dumping of slurry, or coal mining waste into the hollow also began. In a matter of minutes, 118 were dead and over 4,000 people were left homeless. Part of the the plenum series on stress and coping book series ssso. Read the buffalo creek disaster how the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won by gerald m. The decision to go after pittston in federal courts instead of suing the previous mine owner, buffalo creek mining, in state courts seemed to be the right decision considering the perceived corruption in the state judicial system. The west virginia mining catastrophe killed 125 people, mostly women and children.
One of worst floods in us occurred here 26 february 1972, when buffalo mining co. Logan county, west virginia, includes a small area known as buffalo creek. Etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder in vietnam veterans. Buffalo creek disaster at michigan state university. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia university. A classic book on this harrowing subject, the retelling of the buffalo creek flood in 1972 is wrenching and heartbreaking, also an indictment of a coal company that could have, and should have, provided safeguards against the very thing that caused this disaster in the first place, i. The buffalo creek disaster essay 3619 words bartleby. The buffalo creek disaster logan wv history and nostalgia. Citizens commission to investigate the buffalo creek disaster. Buffalo creek disaster 7th grade need to know vocab. Filled with legal details and procedural notes, it still manages to be an engrossing account a pageturner, even. On a sleepy saturday morning in a mountain hollow in. May a group of buffalo creek disaster survivors traveled to pittstons annual.
The other, a runnerup for a national book award in 1975, is everything in its path, by kai erikson describing the story of the disaster from a sociologists point of view. Buffalo creek is broke and have no money, hence the shareholders need to be sued. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia. It may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. Published by stern in 1976, his book chronicles the events preceding and following the buffalo creek flood of 1972. Study 33 buffalo creek disaster flashcards from aylin c.
An impoundment actually a dam had been built in the middle fork of the creek as a. There were about 5,000 people living in the communities along buffalo creek, places like kistler, robinette, stowe, lorado and pardee. An indepth account of the february 1972 disaster in which a dam built by the pittston coal company gave way, killing 125 people, injuring more than 1,100, and leaving more than four thousand homeless, focuses on the survivors lawsuit against the company, which became a landmark case of a legal triumph over corporate responsibility. Different types filed by each party only 2 parties o motion for depositions to be held in buffalo creek o motions to dismiss the case filed by defendant pittston not enough evidence. A citizens report on criminal negligence in a west virginia mining community. An effective supplement to a conventional civil procedure course lawrence m. From the buffalo creek disaster book, the law involves the use of a rightful procedure in seeking justice.
Saturday, february 26, 1972, was a day logan county, west virginia, resident, tom sparks, never forgot. The buffalo creek disaster was a wonderfully pieced together book that i will not soon forget. Sterns the buffalo creek disaster in terms of critiquing the authors thesis, supporting arguments, supporting evidence and authority, style, and content. Stern, who as a young lawyer and took on the case and won. The adobe acrobat file available below contains copies of original documents used in the buffalo creek civil case. Grosberg gerald sterns the buffalo creek disaster 1 and the lawsuit which is the subject of his book provide an excellent vehicle to complement a conventionally taught civil procedure course. It involves the use of the litigation process for the purpose of fighting injustices in the society. The buffalo creek disaster book papers marketplace. In late february 1972 a coal waste impoundment dam along the buffalo creek in logan county, west virginia collapsed. After 911, buffalo creek was in the news because of the origins of ptsd. Analysis of the authors evidence in the book, stern details descriptions of his personal experiences in dealing with. Gerald sterns the buffalo creek disaster 1 and the lawsuit which is the subject of his book provide an excellent vehicle to complement a conven tionally taught civil.
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