Ashley McCollum's quiet, small-town life "changed in an instant" on the night of Feb. 3, 2023, when a Norfolk Southern "bomb train" derailed near her home in East Palestine, OH. The derailment, followed by the disastrous decision to "vent and burn" multiple carloads of hazardous chemicals, exposed residents in East Palestine and the surrounding area to toxins that have made them sick, poisoned their homes, and changed their community forever. While Norfolk Southern, politicians, and media pundits have all moved on from the East Palestine train derailment and chemical disaster, residents like McCollum are still dealing with the toxic fallout.
Production: Maximillian Alvarez
Post-Production: Maximillian Alvarez, David Hebden