Louisville Pesticide Exposure Attorneys

If you believe you or a close family member has become ill due to contact with dangerous pesticides, it is important to understand what options are open to you. While pesticides are intended to kill insects, they can be extremely dangerous and even lethal for humans. However, demonstrating that an illness has been caused by pesticide exposure can be a daunting task.

The Louisville premises liability attorneys of Sampson Law Firm can investigate your case and help you to prove that your illness was caused by reckless use of pesticides. We are committed to standing up for the rights of people who have been injured through no fault of their own, and we want to help you get the compensation you deserve for what’s been done to you.

How Does Pesticide Exposure Occur?

Nearly all reported pesticide exposures are accidental. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), a part of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are four types of unintentional pesticide exposure:

• Unintentional environmental, which includes any exposure related to contaminated air, soil, or water, like if groundwater is contaminated by pesticide runoff.
• Unintentional misuse, which results from the improper application of a pesticide product, such as the spraying of pesticides in a residential area.
• Unintentional occupational, which includes any pesticide exposure that occurs while the victim is working, for example, if agriculture workers are hit by crop dusters.
• Unintentional general, which includes all other unintentional exposures.

Pesticide exposure often occurs due to pesticide drift, which is the movement of pesticides from their area of intended application to an unintended location. This can occur through spray drift, when airborne particles travel away from their site, or with runoff when pesticides enter the groundwater and are carried into other areas.

The Effects of Pesticide Exposure

While pesticide exposure often has no immediate effects, it can sometimes result in sudden illness or even death, particularly if the person exposed has underlying conditions such as asthma or other breathing problems. The long-term effects of exposure are generally thought to be a greater problem than acute pesticide poisoning.

Studies have shown that pesticide exposure is correlated with a variety of cancers, including leukemia, kidney, breast, pancreas, liver, lung, and skin cancer, among others. Many pesticides are known to be neurotoxic, which means they act upon the nervous system. Neurotoxin exposure may result in long-term neurological effects. There is also strong evidence linking pesticide exposure to a number of birth defects, as well as miscarriage, as well as to decreased fertility in men.

Common Types of Pesticide Exposure Cases

The effects of acute pesticide exposure can include:

• Headache
• Incoherent speech
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness

However, the long-term effects can be even more damaging. Effectively pursuing a pesticide exposure claim based on the long-term effects of pesticide exposure often involves demonstrating both a pattern of negligence on the part of those responsible for spraying the pesticides, as well as a pattern of effects among those who experienced unsafe pesticide exposure.

Successful claims for pesticide exposure can involve:

• Cancer
• Neurological damage
• Birth defects
• Chronic conditions

They can also involve short-term effects of pesticide exposure if those effects were particularly deleterious to the victim’s health or well-being.

Why Hire a Louisville Environmental Claims Lawyer?

Pesticide exposure claims are a particularly tricky variety of personal injury claims, so it is extremely important to hire an experienced attorney. Unlike simple accidents where victims can point to a clear chain of events that led to their injury, pesticide exposure victims need to be able to demonstrate that their illness is directly caused by their exposure to pesticides and that this exposure was a result of someone else’s negligence.

This creates two hurdles. First of all, unless the victim had an immediate and severe reaction to pesticide exposure, which is rare but not unheard of, proving that pesticide exposure caused the illness can be a difficult and time-consuming process. Defense attorneys may claim that the victim’s illness was caused by other health factors, such as smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, or contact with hazardous materials besides pesticides. Thorough demonstration of a causal link between pesticide exposure and illness is often necessary, and that usually requires an experienced attorney who has dealt with similar cases before.

Additionally, in cases involving industrial pesticides, it can be difficult to figure out who is responsible for the exposure. The pesticide exposure may have been caused by the negligence of one or more people, who may be working for a company that could also be liable and who, in turn, may have purchased the pesticides from an also-liable distributor who misrepresented the safety of their product. Determining the relative responsibility of all the people involved in a pesticide exposure case is just part of what an experienced pesticide exposure attorney can bring to the table.

Why Choose Sampson Law Firm for Your Kentucky Pesticide Exposure Case?

Sampson Law Firm’s attorneys have been representing Louisville area clients for nearly twenty-five years. We have recovered millions of dollars for the victims of a variety of different accidents. At Sampson Law Firm, we believe that agricultural companies and workers should be responsible for the safety of their employees and their neighbors, and if they put people at risk through unsafe practices, they should be held accountable.

Our decades of experience handling personal injury cases means we have the insight to navigate even the most complicated pesticide exposure cases. Our firm is known for passionately representing our clients and doing everything we can to make sure they get the compensation they deserve.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pesticide Exposure

We’ve been handling these kinds of cases for a long time, and as a result, we have an idea of what some of your questions may be. Following are questions we’re regularly asked. If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at (502) 584-5050.

What should I do if I believe I have been exposed to unsafe levels of pesticides?

Schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. Contact the person responsible for applying the pesticides and try to determine the brand and what chemicals it contains.

What types of pesticides are used today?

There are literally hundreds of different pesticides used by farmers today. The most dangerous are generally insecticides, as they are often designed to target the nervous systems of pests but can also affect larger animals, like humans.

Contact a Kentucky Pesticide Exposure Lawyer Today

At Sampson Law Firm, we know how important your pesticide exposure case is to you. Pesticide-related illness can have wide-ranging effects, impacting everything from a victim’s mental and physical well-being to their ability to work and provide for their family.

Our personal injury attorneys will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Call our offices at [phone number] today to schedule a free, confidential consultation.