A minewaste impoundment located on the middle fork of the buffalo creek watershed in logan county see figure 11. The buffalo creek disaster read a free informative essay. The buffalo creek disaster left hundreds of people to suffer without homes, belongings, jobs, family, and friends. The movement towards mental distress compensation josh mech gbl 295 section 42116 the buffalo creek disaster. For the flood that followed the collapse of west virginias buffalo creek dam in 1972. The real practice of law requires vision and courage, which this book amply illustrates. Saturday, february 26, 1972, was a day logan county, west virginia, resident, tom sparks, never forgot. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the pittston coal company burst. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in c.
The buffalo creek disaster was a wonderfully pieced together book that i will not soon forget. View essay the buffalo creek disaster from gbl 295 at michigan state university. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won author. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal company and won 9780307388490 by stern, gerald m.
Paper details read the buffalo creek disaster and write a reflection incorporating a discussion of ethics. An effective supplement to a conventional civil procedure course lawrence m. Cases and materials aspen casebook series charles l. Dec 31, 2011 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. Buffalo creek watershed assessment and protection plan western. Disaster appropriation the buffalo creek disaster in february of 1972 was, in no manner of exaggeration, a horrific and awful event. Students are expected to have a minimum word count of words. Choose from 44 different sets of buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards on quizlet. The adobe acrobat file available below contains copies of original documents used in the buffalo creek civil case.
Learn buffalo creek disaster stern with free interactive flashcards. Buffalo creek is broke and have no money, hence the shareholders need to be sued. Rees, in his article, a calendar of buffalo creek hypotheticals for the civil procedure course, 18 ohio n. Stern, is an account of how the survivors of the worst disasters in coal mining history, picked gerald m. This book is particularly significant in the aftermath of the teton dam disaster in idaho this past june. The buffalo creek mining company bcmc is a subsidiary firm of the pittston co. To ask other readers questions about the buffalo creek disaster, please sign. The nook book ebook of the the buffalo creek disaster. Negligent strip mining and heavy rain produced a raging flood. The title of this book is the buffalo creek disaster and it was written by gerald m. This lawsuit would be proper to file in district court of west virginia as compared to the federal court.
The watershed is prone to extreme flood events and continued monitoring is needed. The management of buffalo creek and that of pittston is highly unethical. After 911, buffalo creek was in the news because of the origins of ptsd. The story of the survivors unprecedented lawsuit, by gerald m stern new york. 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. More than thirty years ago, one of the deadliest floods in u. The buffalo creek disaster book summary images all. The buffalo creek disaster 1977 edition open library. Buffalo creek disaster at michigan state university studyblue. Alternative summary for buffalo mountain surface mine.
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. Although a book for laymen, it is still used in many law school civil procedure courses. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the due to covid19, orders may be delayed. This lawsuit would be proper to file in district court of west virginia as compared to the. The buffalo creek coal mining company was a succesfully running company back in the times of 19th century. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia. 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. For the buffalo creek disaster, like the recent coal mine fire tragedies at farmington, west virginia, and at hyden, kentucky, could have been prevented it need not have happened. 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. The disaster occurred in logan county of west virginia. Worse than a tornado or an earthquake because it was completely and utterly avoidable. One, the buffalo creek disaster, about the case itself, was by jerry stern. The buffalo creek disaster the movement towards mental.
The buffalo creek disaster meet your next favorite book. A dog sits in buffalo creek hollow in the aftermath of the 1972 coalslurry dam disaster in this photo by longtime gazette photographer lawrence pierce fortytwo years ago today, a series of poorly designed, badly constructed, and weakly regulated coal slurry dams failed on buffalo creek in logan county. Buffalo creek disaster at michigan state university. 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. One saturday morning in february 1972, an impoundment d. Sterns lucidity and anger as he details the complex. 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. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought suit against the coal companyand won. It may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. The survivors of the buffalo creek disaster suffered both individual and collective trauma, the latter being reflected in their loss of communality. The purpose of this assignment is for students to think critically about ethics and law. 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. Buffalo creek disaster stern flashcards and study sets quizlet.
This page will have archives of old newspaper articles, photographs, and hopefully some audio clips of people discussing the disaster. Although this book will give you a summary of this ecological disaster, but it is. Buffalo creek notes motions what is a motion o a procedural device to bring a limited contested issue before court for decision. This assignment is also designed to help improve undergraduate student writing outcomes. One of the countrys worst miningrelated disasters occurred february 26, 1972, on buffalo creek in logan county. The buffalo creek disaster essay 3619 words bartleby. The buffalo creek disaster read a free informative essay at. The buffalo creek disaster logan wv history and nostalgia. For sparks, the morning began in the wee hours of night. Buffalo creek timeline college of law west virginia university. 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. Clearly and simply, people living downstream from the buffalo mining companys coal refuse dam at saunders were the victims of gross negligence. Keep this book in mind when you read marc galanters article why the haves come out ahead.
Pittston moved for summary judgment because pittston is not a proper. The following hypothetical problems are based on the buffalo creek book. In a matter of minutes, 118 were dead and over 4,000 people were left homeless. 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. King coal highway delbarton to belo project and buffalo mountain.
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 disaster at buffalo creek remains one of americas most. The flood occurred on a late february saturday morning. Sterns the buffalo creek disaster in terms of critiquing the authors thesis, supporting arguments, supporting evidence and authority, style, and content. The streams and coal mines have been he view the full answer. Jerry sterns account of the litigation over the buffalo creek dam disaster ought to be read by every wannabe trial lawyer so that he or she will understand the tremendous creativity real lawyering, particularly lawyering down in the pits, requires. Memories of the buffalo creek flood disaster home facebook. Buffalo creek dam west virginia, 1972 case study asdso. Remembering the buffalo creek disaster coal tattoo. The movement towards mental distress compensation josh mech. They are based upon hypotheticals proposed by professor charles a. Buffalo creek disaster, miscellaneous, free essays. This book provides a good description of many aspects of civil process, but it also raises questions about the use of courts to achieve justice for powerless people.
The photos displayed within our listings are stock photos provided by ebay and the publisher as a visual aid. 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. How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coalmining history brought s uit against the coal companyand won gerald m. The story of the survivors unprecedented lawsuit by gerald m. By piercing the corporate veil, we can get the diversity of citizenship.
Study buffalo creek disaster flashcards from steve t. This book was an outstanding depiction of how our court systems in the united states work. The disaster at buffalo creek remains one of americas most costly and deadly preventable mining related catastrophes. Gerald stern, from the time he had accepted the case, in my opinion, was out for establishing justice. A blowbyblow account of a landmark lawsuit by the chief attorney for the survivors of the 72 buffalo creek disaster. Human relationships in this community had been derived from traditional bonds of kinship and neighborliness. The buffalo creek disaster essay court, united states on. The buffalo creek disaster had significant impact on our nation. In late february 1972 a coal waste impoundment dam along the buffalo creek in logan county, west virginia collapsed. It was published by vintage and has a total of 304 pages in the book. The west virginia mining catastrophe killed 125 people, mostly women and children. The 1972 west virginia flood disaster, by tom nugent new york. Buffalo creek case notes buffalocreeknotes motions.