A mass tort is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few corporate defendants. The tort may involve, for example, personal injuries suffered by numerous plaintiffs as a result of a defective product, or a mass disaster in which there were many injured persons, such as an airplane crash, or exposure of a large group of people to toxic chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
Seward is an unincorporated community in Winnebago County, Illinois, and is located west of Rockford. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. In early 2007, a leak at Seward Ag caused the release of 38,000 to 40,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia gas. This resulted in a full evacuation of the village until the next day. Ten people were treated for throat irritation at Rockford hospitals. Three cows and four pigs were killed because of exposure to anhydrous ammonia.