Hearing Loss After Car Accident: What You Need To Know

Hearing loss after a car accident can result from head impact, neck injury (whiplash), airbag deployment, or loud crash noise. Symptoms may include muffled hearing, tinnitus, or dizziness. Prompt medical and legal help is essential to assess your injury and pursue compensation for treatment and lost income.

An experienced lawyer can help you recover the pain and suffering compensation that you are entitled to from the at-fault driver as well as No-Fault benefits to pay your medical bills and help you support your family while you’re trying to heal and rebuild your life after your automobile crash.

What to do for hearing loss after a car accident?

• Seek medical attention – A doctor can determine the type and severity of hearing impairment and suggest proper treatment.
• Document your injuries – Keep detailed records of your symptoms, medical evaluations, and treatments after a crash to support your claim.
• Attend all medical appointments – Attend all scheduled medical appointments to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.
• Report the crash – Report the crasg promptly to authorities and your insurance company to establish a clear record supporting your claim.
• Get a copy of your police report – Obtain a copy of the police report to document the accident details and support your claim.
• Consult with an attorney – A skilled attorney can guide you through the legal process and help you seek compensation for your injuries.

How does hearing loss after a car accident affect victims?

It’s easy for auto insurance companies and cynical claims adjusters to routinely downplay and minimize the significance of hearing loss after a car accident, but the reality is that this medical condition can be debilitating. It can also be the sign of a more serious injury, such as a traumatic brain injury. Many crash victims who suffer from this injury cannot resume their normal jobs, family lives and social and recreational activities.

It is not uncommon for victims suffering from a hearing impairment from a crash to experience feelings of irritability, fatigue, depression, withdrawal, loneliness, reduced alertness, reduced earning capacity, and diminished overall health. Unfortunately, emotional injury is compounded when many victims choose to avoid social settings, which can further compound feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression.

Causes of hearing loss after a car accident

The following injury mechanisms are the most frequent causes of hearing impairments after a crash: (1) a whiplash-related neck injury; (2) head trauma; (3) airbag deployment; or (4) excessive noise of the crash.

Neck injury (whiplash) – Whiplash can harm the inner ear and may lead to hearing impairment

Head trauma – Head trauma from a crash can harm the inner ear or auditory nerves, causing hearing impairment.

Airbag deployment – Airbag deployment produces a loud noise and pressure wave that can injure the inner ear, potentially causing tinnitus or hearing impairment.

Excessive noise – The intense noise from the crash can damage the sensitive structures of the inner ear.

Symptoms

You should see your doctor and/or a health care provider if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Tinnitus – Persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing noises in the ears.
• Muffled hearing – Sounds may seem muffled or unclear, making it hard to understand speech.
• Painful itching or burning in the ears – Painful itching or burning sensations in the ears may indicate an underlying condition contributing to hearing impairment.
• Ear Pain or pressure in one or both ears – Discomfort or a feeling of pressure or fullness in one or both ears
• Dizziness or vertigo- Dizziness or a sense of imbalance may accompany impaired hearing
• Sudden or gradual hearing impairment – A significant drop in hearing ability

Types of injuries

Hearing loss after a car accident could be a sign that you are suffering from one of the following serious injuries: (1) vertigo; (2) deafness; (3) tinnitus; (4) ruptured eardrum; (5) disruption of blood flow to the cochlea; (6) damage to inner ear tissues, membranes, and hair cells; or (7) damage to the small bones in your middle ear.

Diagnosing hearing loss after a car accident

To ensure you are properly diagnosed, you will need a referral to an otolaryngologist (i.e., an ear, nose and throat doctor) whose specialty includes evaluating, diagnosing and caring for people suffering from a hearing impairment after a crash. You may also need to be referred to an otologist or neurologist (which is a board-certified otolaryngologist) and an audiologist.

It is also common for people suffering with a hearing impairment after a crash to be referred to a neurologist to rule out a traumatic brain injury because this injury coupled with headaches and tinnitus are commonly seen as the result of a brain injury, as well as an isolated injury. Normally a neurologist will refer victims for an MRI or other diagnostic imaging to make to rule out other possible causes, such as tumors, space-occupying masses, and trauma to the brain.

Treatment

Treatment may include surgery, cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Can I file a lawsuit for hearing loss after a car accident?

If you have suffered hearing loss after a car accident, you may be able to sue the at-fault driver who caused your crash for pain and suffering compensation as well as excess medical expenses, excess lost wages and other economic damages.

Your claim for pain and suffering compensation will require you to show that you suffered a “serious impairment of body function” under Michigan’s auto law.

This showing is not required for holding the at-fault driver accountable for your excess medical expenses (which are your medical bills that exceed and, thus, are not covered by No-Fault PIP medical benefits coverage level in your auto insurance policy) and your excess lost wages (which are your lost wages over and above the monthly maximum and/or beyond the three-year limit on No-Fault wage loss benefits).

Proving Hearing Loss In A Car Accident Claim

To prove hearing loss in a car accident claim, gather detailed medical records, audiograms, and expert evaluations, and document how the injury impacts daily life. An experienced attorney can help ensure all evidence is properly collected and presented.

• Medical documentation – Keep thorough medical records documenting your hearing impairment.
• Expert testimony – An audiologist or other expert may be required to testify about the severity of your hearing impairment and its link to the crash.
• Proving Negligence – You must establish that the other driver was at-fault for the crash.

Settlements

Factors that influence a settlement for hearing loss after a car accident include: (1) whether your injury resulted in an impairment that affects your ability to lead your normal life; (2) your medical needs; (3) your lawyer’s experience, track record and reputation; and (4) the at-fault driver’s liability insurance limits.

This is where your choice of a lawyer is particularly important. Auto insurance companies keep tabs on attorneys and they know which attorneys go to trial and which ones don’t – and which ones tend to “settle cases short.”

The bottom line is that attorneys who are known for going to trial can settle cases for more money and often much faster.

Claiming No-Fault benefits for hearing loss after a car accident

In Michigan, you start your claim for hearing loss after a car accident by filing an application for No-Fault benefits – which is also called a “written notice of injury” – with the responsible auto insurance company according to the No-Fault law’s “priority” rules within one (1) year after the crash. (MCL 500.3145(1) and (4))

Filing this application – and filing it on time – is extremely important because the failure to do so will be used by the insurance company to deny your claim and forever refuse to pay any and all of the No-Fault benefits you would have otherwise been entitled to.

The No-Fault PIP benefits (which are also called “personal injury protection” benefits) that you may be able to recover after your crash will help to pay for medical expenses, lost wages if your injuries prevent you from returning to work, mileage and transportation costs for traveling to and from your doctor appointments, household replacement services and attendant care services.

If your own No-Fault auto insurance company refuses to pay for – or even tries to cut-off – your auto No-Fault insurance benefits related to your medical treatment and care or wage loss for your injury after a crash, then you can also file a lawsuit to sue for unpaid, overdue medical bills, attendant care, medical mileage, replacement services and lost wages because your injury has prevented you from returning to work.

Suffered hearing loss after a car accident? Call our attorneys now!

If you have suffered hearing loss after a car accident, call now (800) 968-1001 for a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer from Michigan Auto Law. There is no cost or obligation. You can also visit our contact page or use the chat feature on our website.

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