The real practice of law requires vision and courage, which this book amply illustrates. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won gerald m. May 02, 2018 buffalo creek disaster 42 years later alachian disaster evaluation of the buffalo creek by jeff l buffalo creek disaster coal. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal company and won.
From the foreword by president bill clintona shocking, timely book. Cases and materials aspen casebook series charles l. In 1972, the logan county community of buffalo creek experienced the most destructive flood in west virginia history, when a coal waste dam burst and million gallons of water. 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. Learn buffalo creek disaster stern with free interactive flashcards. 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.
How the 1972 buffalo creek flood disaster forever changed appalachia a book proposal by tom nugent forty years ago next year on feb. As the title suggests, the book is a matteroffact yet dramatic tale authored by the leading plaintiffs lawyer in the case. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the. Part of the the plenum series on stress and coping book series ssso. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won 320. A landmark book that gives impassioned challenge to the social meaning of disasters the new. Worse than a tornado or an earthquake because it was completely and utterly avoidable. Feb 20, 2012 a sample from the awardwinning 1975 appalshop film the buffalo creek flood. Pdf the buffalo creek disaster download read online free. Gerald m stern behindthescenes account by the attorney from the washington d. The buffalo creek disaster is more than a story about heroes. 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. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia.
The buffalo creek disaster essay 3619 words bartleby. The management of buffalo creek and that of pittston is highly unethical. Published by stern in 1976, his book chronicles the events preceding and following the buffalo creek flood of 1972. For the flood that followed the collapse of west virginias buffalo creek dam in 1972. The story of the surviviors unprecedented lawsuit by gerald m. Dedicated to those touched by this tragedy and to all my friends and family back home in west virginia. The buffalo creek disaster logan wv history and nostalgia. The buffalo creek disaster please write 35 pages reflecting on the book the buffalo creek disaster and what it tells you about tort law and the litigation of tort cases. Stern, who as a young lawyer and took on the case and won. This book was an outstanding depiction of how our court systems in the united states work. Pdf the buffalo creek disaster book part 1 summary download. 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. September 2, 1972 west virginia ad hoc commission of inquiry into the buffalo creek flood released its report.
This book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won. Following the buffalo creek flood, nationwide inspections of similar waste impoundment dams were conducted. Buffalo creek flood, monongah mining disaster, sago mine disaster, farmington mine disaster, aracom by hephaestus books. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It involves the use of the litigation process for the purpose of fighting injustices in the society. The buffalo creek disaster book summary images all disaster. The collapse of the buffalo creek dam and subsequent flood disaster has received a. The buffalo creek flood was a disaster that occurred on february 26, 1972, when the pittston. One, the buffalo creek disaster, about the case itself, was by jerry stern. Buffalo creek disaster 42 years later alachian disaster evaluation of the buffalo creek by jeff l buffalo creek disaster coal. Choose from 41 different sets of buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards on quizlet.
They are based upon hypotheticals proposed by professor charles a. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit. More than thirty years ago, one of the deadliest floods in u. The survivors were not allowed to address the meeting. File photothe heralddispatch destroyed homes and businesses are piled up against each other in the dingess hollow area of lorado after the buffalo creek dam broke on feb. You may use the questions below or some arrangement of them as prompts or you may write generally. May a group of buffalo creek disaster survivors traveled to pittstons annual stockholders meeting in richmond, va. One of worst floods in us occurred here 26 february 1972, when buffalo mining co.
The commission concluded after eight public hearings, 91 witnesses, and 2,000 pages of transcript that pittston has shown flagrant disregard for the safety of residents of buffalo creek and other persons who live near coalrefuse. Negligent strip mining and heavy rain produced a raging flood. The buffalo creek disaster book summary images all. Buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards and study sets quizlet. 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. From the buffalo creek disaster book, the law involves the use of a rightful procedure in seeking justice. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal company and won stern, gerald m. If you would like this paper removed from our website, please contact us via our contact us page. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the pittston coal company burst.
Published february 12th 1977 by vintage books usa first published 1976. 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. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in. 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. Sep 05, 1976 this book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. Buffalo creek disaster coal dams fail 1972 the pop. No one could be more qualified to write on this topic than.
Using straightforward language, stern provides the reader with a window through which. The buffalo creek disaster left hundreds of people to suffer without homes, belongings, jobs, family, and friends. A sample from the awardwinning 1975 appalshop film the buffalo creek flood. The buffalo creek disaster by gerald m stern 2151 words. Disaster appropriation the buffalo creek disaster in february of 1972 was, in no manner of exaggeration, a horrific and awful event. The buffalo creek disaster pdf images all disaster msimages. The buffalo creek disaster pdf images all disaster. 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. The following hypothetical problems are based on the buffalo creek book. The buffalo creek disaster is a book by gerald m stern, about how the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coalmining company.
Sterns the buffalo creek disaster in terms of critiquing the authors thesis, supporting arguments, supporting evidence and authority, style, and content. An effective supplement to a conventional civil procedure course lawrence m. Rees, in his article, a calendar of buffalo creek hypotheticals for the civil procedure course, 18 ohio n. Pdf the buffalo creek disaster book part 1 summary. The buffalo creek disaster encouraged the state of west virginia to bolster oversight and mine safety regulations, culminating in passage of the dam control act.
Grosberg gerald stems the buffalo creek disaster and the lawsuit which is the subject of his book provide an excellent vehicle to complement a conventionally taught civil procedure course. During the meeting, the field foundation proposed a resolution that pittston should spend more money to. Track 4 from craig heaths new cd, big green mountain. Although a book for laymen, it is still used in many law school civil procedure courses. Jul 12, 2011 track 4 from craig heaths new cd, big green mountain. Headlines of the charleston daily mail of charleston, wv reporting early death toll of 66 people killed during the buffalo creek flood disaster, the result of a giant coal waste wall of water from failed gob dams high in the hills upstream, also showing houses tossed about in the ravaged watershed. Gerald stern, from the time he had accepted the case, in my opinion, was out for establishing justice. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won by gerald m. The buffalo creek disaster book papers marketplace. The nook book ebook of the the buffalo creek disaster.