Class Actions

Maryland Pesticide Injury Lawyer

Pesticides are designed to kill pests, like insects and rodents, but these substances often do more damage to people than the pests themselves.

If you were exposed to pesticides and suffered life-changing injuries or lost a loved one to pesticide-induced health problems, you should contact a Maryland toxic tort lawyer who specializes in these cases. The Maryland pesticide injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl know how to build a strong case for why you deserve compensation for your pesticide poisoning injuries.

There is a limited amount of time to pursue compensation so it is best to contact us as soon as you discover you have a pesticide-related personal injury. We can manage the investigation of your claim, handle settlement negotiations and represent you in court if your pesticide poisoning lawsuit goes to trial.

Our Maryland pesticide injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, so there is no charge for your consultation and there are no fees or costs unless we recover compensation in your case.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form or call us at 410-244-7005.

What are Pesticides?

A pesticide is a substance that is designed to kill or control a variety of environmental pests and disease-carrying organisms. These substances are used on farms and other agricultural settings and by consumers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website lists many different types of pesticides, each one meant to deal with specific kinds of pests:

• Herbicides – These chemicals are designed to kill or slow the growth of unwanted plants, also known as weeds. A well-known type of herbicide used by consumers is Roundup, created by Monsanto.
• Rodenticides – These are meant to kill small animals like mice, rats and gophers.
• Wood preservatives – These substances make wood resistant to fungus, insects and other pests.
• Fungicides – These substances help control fungi, like mold, mildew and rust.
• Insecticides – These help control insects.
• Disinfectants and antimicrobials – These chemicals control bacteria, viruses and other germs and microbes.
• Insect growth regulators – These help disrupt the growth and reproduction of insects.

These pesticides are meant to contain a variety of organisms that can help transmit serious health problems for humans or worsen existing issues, including:

While pesticides can help prevent these issues, they can also cause dangerous health problems when people are exposed to them.

Contact our Maryland pesticide injury lawyers today for a free legal consultation.

How Can You be Exposed to Pesticides?

You can be exposed to pesticides in a number of ways. Many people suffer exposure when they use pesticides at home. For example, people often buy weed killers and spray them on weeds in their driveways or other places outside of their homes.

Consumers can also be exposed when they use wood preservatives on decks and other wood construction outside of their homes. These preservatives are appealing because advertisements say they can make wood last longer before rotting and needing to be replaced.

Another way people could be exposed is when they hire exterminators to spray chemicals around the home to ward off cockroaches, ants, rats and other household pests.

Unfortunately, there are other ways you could be exposed without being immediately aware of it. For instance, when pesticides are used in farming they could get into the ground water and travel into water that is collected and used as tap water in your home. You could also suffer pesticide exposure when eating food, particularly produce like fruits and vegetables.

Workers Who Can be Exposed

Consumers are not the only ones at risk, as people who work with pesticides could also be exposed. Pesticide sprayers who work on farms or workers involved in handling containers of these substances are at high risk of suffering insecticide poisoning.

Other employees who are at risk of pesticide exposure include people who work at chemical factories that manufacture pesticides. If a factory does not have the proper safety procedures, there could be a chemical leak or some other type of accident that exposes employees or even people in the community around the factory. Facilities should also have adequate means of ventilation to get pesticide fumes away from employees.

In some cases, exposure happens because employees are not provided with the proper safety equipment, like goggles, gloves, helmet or body suit. Sometimes this equipment is defective or broken in some way, putting employees at greater risk of pesticide poisoning.

Employees and consumers who were exposed to pesticide and suffered injuries may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses and other damages.

Contact a pesticide injury lawyer in Maryland for a free legal consultation.

Effects of Pesticides

Pesticide poisoning can result in a wide variety of health problems that could be life-altering, including:

Children can suffer severe birth defects in the womb if their mothers are exposed to these chemicals, such as:

Children can also develop a variety of childhood cancers that could be fatal. In some cases, problems will show up after the child is born, as some may suffer from developmental delays.

Symptoms of Pesticide Exposure

If you use or handle any type of pesticide, watch for any symptoms of poisoning, including:

If you experience any of these symptoms after being exposed to any type of pesticide, contact the American Association of Poison Control Centers. If it is safe to do so, have the pesticide container nearby so you can tell the representative the active ingredients and the antidote. The representative should be able to guide you through how to treat yourself.

If advised to go to the hospital, or if you feel it is necessary, bring the container or write down information about the pesticide so doctors can reference it when determining how best to treat you. Make sure the container is tightly sealed and enclose it in a plastic bag if possible. Do not put it in the enclosed passenger section of your vehicle.

Once your condition stabilizes, contact a Maryland pesticide injury lawyer for a free legal consultation. Your exposure to pesticides could have been caused by another party’s negligence, which means you could be entitled to compensation for the damages you have suffered.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today or call 410-244-7005.

Building a Pesticide Injury Case

When you contact our pesticide injury attorneys in Maryland, we will carefully review your situation in a free, no obligation legal consultation. If we determine you have grounds for a lawsuit, we will immediately begin an in-depth investigation to build a case.

We will carefully review your injuries to determine their severity and all of the ways they affect you. This will help us determine an accurate value of the damages you suffered.

The investigation will also help us determine all of the parties who could be held responsible for your injuries, such as:

• Manufacturer of the pesticide or the pesticide container
• Company that distributed the product
• Company that stored or transported the pesticide
• Owner of the factory where the pesticide leaked out
• Manufacturers of equipment that caused the exposure
• Manufacturers of goggles, masks and other safety equipment
• Government entities or officials who did not properly warn the public about an industrial accident

Compensation for Your Damages

Determining who is liable for your injuries is one of the most crucial aspects of your case. Our Maryland pesticide injury attorneys may need to pursue claims against multiple parties to obtain all of the compensation you deserve, which could include:

We are prepared to negotiate with all liable parties to try to obtain the fair compensation you deserve. If we are unable to negotiate a fair settlement, we are prepared to go to trial to fight for the justice you deserve.

Contact The Law Offices of Peter T. Nicholl today for a free legal consultation.

Contact a Maryland Pesticide Injury Lawyer Today

Pesticides are not only unsafe for the pests they are designed to kill, but they can also cause serious harm and potentially death to human beings.

If you were exposed to pesticides through negligence and suffered injuries, you should strongly consider contacting a pesticide injury attorney in Maryland right now for a free legal consultation. We might be able to obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other effects of your injuries.

These cases can be complex, which is why our attorneys are prepared to guide you through every step of the process as we defend your best interests. We want you to be able to focus on your recovery and continued medical treatment.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call us at 410-244-7005.