A traffic accident on a California interstate or busy city street can do an incredible amount of harm to victims. Broken bones and sore necks and backs are common outcomes, but many people don’t realize the risks to their hearing in a serious accident.
The sounds associated with a major crash could permanently damage the inner ear. Injuries suffered to the head and neck in a fall could also pose threats to our ability to hear and converse with family and friends. Working in a loud, unsafe environment may do long-term damage.
A frightening accident caused by someone else’s negligence could leave you with hearing loss. When that happens it’s critical to make sure the costs of your recovery and care don’t come out of your bank account.
Contact a California Hearing Loss Lawyer for a Free Case Consultation
When someone’s carelessness causes you or a loved one to experience a reduction in hearing, it’s vital that you secure support for present bills. If a hearing impairment or disability becomes permanent, compensation may be needed over a lifetime.
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free case consultation and find out what your ear injury is worth. Find out how to make sure you and your family receive everything you need in recovery. A California Hearing Loss Lawyer protects you during settlement negotiations with an at-fault party’s insurance representatives.
Hearing Loss Dangers in California Car Accidents
Hearing Damage can occur in traffic accidents in several ways. An often-seen effect of an impact on the road is neck damage through whiplash. The head is sent back and forth rapidly to damage neck bones and tissue. The brain is also susceptible to this motion and may collide with the inside of the skull. This intense movement is often enough to damage hearing through an inner ear concussion.
Car accidents often involve the deployment of airbags to protect victims. Unfortunately, it’s now known that airbags produce an incredible amount of noise to damage the inner ear. Tinnitus or a ringing in the ear is also possible. Research shows that passenger-side airbags are even louder than the driver’s airbag and can do more damage.
Hearing Loss Dangers with Head Injuries
Head trauma, in general, is possible, not just in traffic collisions, but in slip-and-falls, falls from a height, and a variety of workplace accidents. These hazards release blunt-force trauma on the head and brain and might damage the cochlea of the inner ear. This is where tiny, hairlike nerves called stereocilia can be permanently damaged.
The inner ear is a delicate instrument and when damage occurs, doctors don’t always have a good idea of how long recovery will take or even if hearing will ever be restored. This uncertainty is why it’s so critical for patients to work with a skilled California Traumatic injury lawyer to secure the maximum in financial support from insurance companies.
What To Do After an Ear Injury Accident in California
After an accident on the highway, in the workplace, or after a slip-and-fall at a store, securing evidence of what happened is an important part of building a strong insurance claim. The strength of your case will determine the size of your settlement check and how much of your hearing loss recovery costs will come out of your own pocket.
Perhaps you didn’t suffer any broken bones, but you are already noticing hearing damage as you listen to the scene around you. It’s important to secure all the proof available to show that someone else’s carelessness is to blame:
- Dial 911. Have paramedics document your injury. Tell them about any hearing issues you’re having. In a car accident, make sure police officers or the CHP have responded so they can file a collision report.
- Alert business owners and operators. If you are at a supermarket or in the workplace when you suffer a head injury and/or an ear injury, alert a manager. They will write up an incident report for their corporate offices.
- Take photos. After a fall at work or in a public place, snap photos of the hazard that caused your injury. If a piece of machinery or tool caused your ears to ring or plug, take video with sound of the item in question. In a car accident, take photos of car damage and traffic signage. Take photos of any visible injuries and damage to personal property.
- Talk to witnesses. Get contact information so your California Traumatic Injury Lawyer can reach them later.
- Make an appointment with your physician in the days that follow. You may not have noticed an ear problem at the scene of your accident. But now that the shock of the accident has worn off you find you’re having trouble hearing. Follow the doctor’s recommendations including seeing specialists, including an ear, nose, and throat physician. Save all medical receipts.
- Keep any damaged clothing and personal items. Don’t wash bloody clothing. Don’t throw away the evidence of your hardships.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Expect After an Ear Injury?
A ruptured or perforated eardrum is another outcome of many accidents involving hearing loss. This rupture can heal within a few weeks, but at times a surgical patch is necessary.
Hearing loss can also result in a long-term or life-long impairment and securing what’s fair from another driver’s car insurance policy or a business’s liability insurance will be key.
To submit a complete ear injury claim, you’ll be listing every hardship you’ve faced since your accident. You’ll also include the expenses you may face in the future.
Your California personal injury lawyer will make sure everything you’ve endured is included on this list of damages:
- Totals on current medical bills.
- Rehabilitation.
- Permanent physical disability costs estimated over a lifetime. Learning to live with hearing loss or a loss of hearing entirely. The cost of hearing aids and lifelong medical care.
- Travel costs to medical appointments while you are unable to drive.
- The pain and emotional anguish you suffer.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Lost income from work (including the expected future lost time). You may not be able to fulfill your current job duties and training for a new career may be necessary.
Contact a California Hearing Loss Lawyer
The costs of recovery from ear damage often extend far beyond a visit to the emergency room. Injured personal injury victims should not forfeit the long-term financial support they’ll need by allowing an insurance company to decide how much compensation they should receive.
There’s an easy, no-risk way to determine just what you’ll need in support to treat and manage a hearing loss injury. Contact Martin Gasparian to schedule a no-obligation consultation.
Mr. Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, offers this free case evaluation to all personal injury victims in California. If you feel Maison Law can help you earn the maximum compensation for your hearing impairment, you won’t need any money upfront. Mr. Gasparian doesn’t get paid unless he wins your case.
