THE BUFFALO CREEK DISASTER: HOW THE SURVIVORS OF ONE OF THE WORST DISASTERS IN COAL-MINING HISTORY BROUGHT SUIT AGAINST THE COAL COMPANY—AND WON
Book ID/图书代码： 07900012B53398
English Summary/英文概要： One Saturday morning in February 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the Pittston Coal Company burst, sending a 130 million gallon, 25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing into southern West Virginia’s Buffalo Creek hollow. It was one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. 125 people were killed instantly, more than 1,000 were injured, and over 4,000 were suddenly homeless. Instead of accepting the small settlements offered by the coal company’s insurance offices, a few hundred of the survivors banded together to sue. This is the story of their triumph over incredible odds and corporate irresponsibility, as told by Gerald M. Stern, who as a young lawyer and took on the case and won.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 这是一个有关西弗吉尼亚州的小社区如何应对一场可怕的矿业灾难的故事，125人在这场灾难中死亡，成千上万人无家可归。这是一个让人感到担忧，却又充满力量、振奋人心的故事。从故事中，我们看到勤恳、充满人性光辉的矿业工人及其家庭是如何联合起来，抗击那些无情危害他们生命、摧毁他们赖以为家园的山谷的人，又是如何追究其法律责任的。
《正义永不决堤：水牛湾惨案》一书揭示的是：如果法律系统向每一个人开放，法官务实而清明，律师们也愿意以免费或低收费的标准接收疑难案件的话，这个法律系统就是行之有效的。
从本书的故事中，读者还能了解到如下事实：灾难后的幸存者们遭遇的不仅是身体伤害、经济损失，还会遭受严重的精神痛苦。水牛湾地区一案中的律师所称的幸存者的“心理损伤”，现在被正式称为“创伤后应激障碍”。对水牛湾地区事件和其他悲剧事件后的幸存者进行研究后得知：创伤后应激障碍往往发生于灾难和残酷的战斗服役之后，而遭遇这些症状的人们需要社会的帮助才能有效应对。在退伍军人从伊拉克、阿富汗归来时，应当汲取这一经验。
水牛湾地区的洪水事件是美国历史上的一个重要章节。杰里?斯特恩的这部经典作品为我们提供了精彩的观察视角，让我们对灾难发生的原因，其造成的人员伤亡，以及法律系统是如何追究过失方的责任，如何减少损失，帮助受害人复原等方面都有所认识。(DB)
Awards/获奖情况："A straightforward, suspenseful, and completely absorbing tale that will leave you cheering at the end."---San Francisco Chronicle
“Jerry Stern’s classic work provides readers with tremendous insight into the causes of the disaster. . . . It is powerful, troubling, and uplifting.” ---From the foreword by President Bill Clinton
“A shocking, timely book.” ---The New York Times Book Review
“A fascinating tale of how investigative lawyers work, intermingled with sympathetic portraits of the survivors of the disaster.”---Chicago Tribune
“Fascinating reading. . . . An inside look at a history-making case.”---The Boston Globe
About the Author/作者介绍： 杰拉尔德.M.斯特恩（Gerald.M.stern）美国华盛顿特区Rogovin，Stern & Huge律师事务所创始合伙人，之前他在Arnold & Porter律师事务所担任合伙人共计11年，在此期间，他受托担任水牛湾惨案幸存者的首席代理律师。在加入Arnold & Porter律师事务所之前，他在美国司法部民权部担任出庭律师没在南方几个州出庭代理关于黑人选举权歧视案件。他就这段经历写了两本书：《南方正义》（Southern Justice）以及《逍遥法外》（Outside The Law）。他还出版了《斯科舍矿难的寡妇们》（The Scotia Widows）一书，这书讲述了他为斯科舍矿难中失去丈夫的妇女担任代理律师的故事。他曾任西方石油公司（Occidental Peteoleum Corporation）的总法律顾问，美国司法部特别法律顾问。如今他在华盛顿特区居住，从事法律咨询业。
Gerald M. Stern is a Counselmen at Phillips & Cohen LLP, a practice is devoted exclusively to representing whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School before beginning his legal career in Washington.
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Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
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