Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed that he suffered an injury while he was visiting East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a toxic train derailment that has drawn national headlines in recent weeks.
“My foot caught on something. I’m fine,” DeWine told the paper on Feb. 26, noting that he’s “just not walking [his] dog as much.”
A spokesperson for his office confirmed his injury to several media outlets on Feb. 27. Representatives for DeWine’s administration didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for additional comment.
“One of the things we did today during two home visits was to drink some of the water ... the village water,” DeWine told local affiliate Fox19. “This village water is safe.”
Last week, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report stating that the train derailment was likely caused by an overheating wheel axle. Five of 38 train cars were carrying vinyl chloride, a toxic substance that can increase the risk of cancer or even cause death, the NTSB confirmed.
“This was 100 percent preventable. ... There is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference on Feb. 23. “The NTSB has one goal, and that is safety and ensuring that this never happens again.”
After the train derailed, officials initiated the controlled release and burn-off of materials on the train—including vinyl chloride—that sent a large plume of black smoke into the air. Locals in the village have since complained of a range of health problems, including nausea, rashes, respiratory problems, and more.
“My voice sounds like Mickey Mouse. My normal voice is low. It’s hard to breathe, especially at night,” the man said. “My chest hurts so much at night I feel like I’m drowning. I cough up phlegm a lot. I lost my job because the doctor won’t release me to go to work.”
Shelby Walker, another East Palestine resident who lives near the derailment site, said she has also suffered health problems. Her family members have also experienced a variety of symptoms, and yet “the cleanup crew drives past us at night and won’t even look at us.”
“It’s like we don’t exist,” Walker said. “No one has reached out to us or told us anything.
“The bad smell comes and goes. Yesterday was the first day in probably three or four days that I could smell anything. I lost my smell and my sense of taste. I had an eye infection in both eyes. I was having respiratory issues like I was just out of breath. Other members of my family have had eye infections and strep throat.”
