paraquat spill

The California Paraquat Spill: Protecting Your Legal Rights

A quiet afternoon in a small California town recently turned into a terrifying public health emergency. On March 17, a commercial big rig traveling through Dorris, California, dropped a 120-gallon drum of Gramoxone—a highly concentrated brand of the toxic herbicide Paraquat. The massive drum ruptured, sending roughly 60 gallons of the deadly chemical pooling directly across Highway 97.

Passing vehicles unknowingly drove through the toxic puddle, tracking the deadly chemical through the heart of the downtown area. Within hours, emergency officials issued a strict shelter-in-place order for hundreds of residents, including children at two local schools. Dozens of people sought emergency medical attention for respiratory symptoms as toxic vapors filled the air.