If you or a family member developed an illness after exposure to the herbicide paraquat, The Gutierrez Law Firm can help you earn support. Our Texas Paraquat Injury Lawyers go to work immediately to get your hospital bills paid. We also demand full support for families who have lost loved ones to this harmful chemical. To learn more about your legal options, contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
What Are the Dangers of Paraquat Exposure?
Paraquat is an herbicide used to kill weeds, for clearing fields before planting crops, and as an herbicide for weeds that have developed resistance to Roundup weedkiller. The CDC reports that paraquat is toxic to humans and animals.
Exposure can cause damage to the lungs, liver, and kidneys and the substance has been linked to Parkinson’s disease in some medical studies. Of course, many of these ailments can easily prove life-threatening.
Paraquat, also known as Gramoxone, has been in use in fields since at least 1960. Nowadays, the EPA restricts access to paraquat to only specially trained certified applicators, but it’s still one of the most widely used herbicides in the country. The EPA has ordered more extensive warning labels for paraquat. In many countries, paraquat is banned.
With Texas being a major agricultural producer for the United States, there may be thousands of farmworkers who have suffered from exposure to this toxic chemical. It’s used on cotton crops, wheat fields, and many other crops yearly. Other victims not involved in agriculture may have also been subjected to this dangerous substance. They may be affected by contaminated food or water. Victims may have inhaled the spray from applicators as it drifted from fields.
Paraquat manufacturers like Syngenta and Chevron may tell victims that their companies aren’t responsible for health problems caused by paraquat. It’s important to discuss your case with a skilled Texas Paraquat Injury Attorney before accepting the word of any herbicide maker. You need to know what your injuries and hardships are worth and then be empowered to demand the maximum in compensation available.
What Are The Health Effects of Paraquat Exposure?
The EPA continues to investigate the link between Parkinson’s disease and Gramoxone exposure. Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that produces uncontrollable movement in victims. Patients experience body tremors, stiffness, and balance issues. Some patients eventually lose the ability to walk and talk.
The Mayo Clinic explains that Parkinson’s occurs when certain nerve cells called neurons in the brain gradually break down. This causes a loss of bodily control as less of the chemical messenger Dopamine is produced. Research shows that exposure to certain toxins or environmental factors may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease later in life.
Meanwhile, the damage the ingestion of large amounts of paraquat can do to the human body isn’t in dispute. Sudden, tragic fatal cases are recorded every year, especially after high doses are consumed. However, the effects of repeated, non-fatal exposure can also develop over years and decades.
The CDC finds that accidental consumption of small to medium amounts of paraquat can cause health issues within days or weeks. The same effects might develop over the years as victims are exposed to small amounts daily or several times a year.
Short-Term Symptoms and Effects:
- Confusion
- Fast heart rate
- Lung scarring
- Muscle weakness
- Pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
- Comas
- Seizures
- Liver failure
- Heart failure
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- Lung scarring
- Death
Long-Term Effects:
- Long-term lung damage (scarring)
- Kidney failure
- Heart failure
- Seizures
- Esophageal strictures (scarring of the swallowing tube that makes it hard for a person to swallow)
- Death
Were you exposed to paraquat and later developed Parkinson’s disease? It’s critical to know your rights as you face a long, difficult recovery. Families should also feel empowered to seek justice for a loved one who’s been lost after exposure to paraquat. Gutierrez Law Firm offers a free case review for all victims in Texas and takes action to secure the support victims need to rebuild their lives.
Do I Need a Lawyer to Secure Money From Paraquat Manufacturers?
You don’t have to have a lawyer to file a claim against Paraquat makers, but you may risk losing out on important support. These cases involving major corporations and many plaintiffs are always complex.
When you don’t have a legal representative fighting for your share of the settlement money, you can end up with much less than you need to recover.
Some victims have joined a mass tort to band together to hold herbicide companies accountable. Mass torts are similar to class action lawsuits in that many plaintiffs combine their cases against a defendant. However, the compensation awarded to each litigant will be decided separately.
Not everyone will receive the same level of compensation. Victims can receive a greatly reduced share of the settlement that doesn’t cover all of their hospital bills and the time they’ve had to be out of work. They can end up paying for part of their damages out of their own pockets.
Your lawyer is a safeguard against this shady treatment and will demand much more for clients. Your lawyer helps you recover medical records as far back as decades in some cases to show the devastation the use of this herbicide has caused. Your lawyer can also secure medical experts to testify on your behalf. These steps ensure that a judge will have the full story before deciding your level of support.
Your lawyer is also ready to file a separate lawsuit against a paraquat manufacturer if your damages and health concerns go beyond what a mass tort settlement may provide.
What Type of Things Can Be Compensated in a Paraquat Settlement?
If you are an agricultural worker or farmer who used Paraquat or were exposed to Paraquat in some way and later developed Parkinson’s disease, The Gutierrez Law Firm could seek these damages for you:
- Past and future medical expenses to treat your injuries.
- Travel costs for your medical treatments.
- Past and future pain and suffering you have experienced because of your injuries.
- Wage and benefit losses, if your illness has kept you from earning a paycheck.
- Other economic losses experienced because of your injuries.
- Punitive damages, if appropriate.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families can seek full support if paraquat exposure causes the death of a loved one. With the help of a Texas wrongful death lawyer, families would seek support for burial costs and to pay remaining medical bills. A skilled attorney also makes sure families have the support they need in the years ahead when the victim’s income won’t be available.
Contact a Texas Paraquat Injury Lawyer as Soon as Possible
If you are unsure if you need a lawyer for a case or not, contact us today to schedule a free consultation. There’s no risk, and it’s an easy way to determine what your paraquat/Parkinson’s injury case is worth. We want to make sure you receive everything you require to rebuild your life. The team at Gutierrez Law Firm is unafraid to fight for you against massive international companies and their corporate lawyers.
We demand the maximum in compensation possible for our clients and make sure they receive support for as long as necessary.
You should never worry about finding the money to hire a skilled legal representative to guide you through your case. Gutierrez Law doesn’t get paid unless we win a paraquat settlement check for you. Then our fee comes out of the award paraquat manufacturers must pay.
