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.