Can an Ohio Car Crash Cause You to Suffer Hearing Loss or Impairment?

While it is probably less common than many other types of injuries, some Ohio car crash victims suffer hearing impairment. There is even a risk of hearing loss from an auto accident injury.  

Below, we explore how car crashes can cause hearing loss or impairment, the types of injuries that can occur, the types of treatments available and how to file a claim for compensation.

If you or someone you know has hearing loss or impairment after a car accident, speak with one of our Cleveland auto accident lawyers to learn about your legal options. Someone else may be at fault for the collision, meaning you can seek compensation. Our legal team has experience supporting and guiding our clients through these difficult times and recovering millions in compensation on their behalf.

How Could a Crash Damage Your Hearing?

These are some of the main causes of crash-related hearing loss or impairment:

• Loud noises: The loud noises of vehicles colliding or airbags deploying may cause immediate damage to your inner ear. These noises can exceed normal decibel levels, which can be harmful to your hearing. For example, a driver’s airbag can inflate at sound levels that are twice as loud as what’s considered safe for your hearing (70 decibels or lower).
• Whiplash: This is a common injury, caused by the sudden and violent back-and-forth whipping movement of your neck and head. Whiplash can indirectly affect your hearing by damaging nerves and tissues connected to different parts of your ear.
• Direct impact: If you bang your ear directly on the steering wheel or the airbag after it deploys, you could suffer some level of hearing impairment. You could suffer a traumatic brain injury or fractured skull that damages your auditory pathways.

Hearing Injuries You Could Suffer in a Car Accident

The trauma from a car crash could damage your ears and your hearing in various ways:

• Tinnitus: Tinnitus can be a symptom of nerve damage to your auditory system or other serious injuries to your head or neck, such as from whiplash.
• Ruptured eardrum: Direct harm to your ear or drastic changes in pressure can result in your eardrum rupturing, which could impair or take away hearing in the affected ear. You could also suffer ruptures of your ear canal or impaired blood flow to the cochlea.
• Acoustic trauma: Unusually loud noises during a collision could damage the hair cells in your cochlea. These hair cells send signals to your ear, and when this function is impaired, victims often experience hearing impairment. Acoustic trauma can also damage your middle ear, causing bursting or draining.

In some cases, these injuries can be treated, and victims do not suffer permanent hearing loss. However, some of these injuries may be irreversible. Often, outcomes depend on how quickly you seek treatment and the effectiveness of that treatment.

Common Signs You May Be Suffering From Hearing Loss

If you experience any of the following symptoms, you might have suffered some level of hearing impairment:

• Difficulty Understanding Speech: People with hearing loss often struggle to follow conversations, especially in noisy environments.
• Muffled Hearing: Sounds may seem unclear or muffled, making it difficult to distinguish words and sounds.
• Asking People to Repeat Themselves: Frequently asking others to repeat themselves or speak more slowly and clearly.
• Turning Up the Volume: You may frequently turn up the volume on the television, radio or phone louder than usual.
• Social Withdrawal: Avoiding social situations or feeling frustrated in conversations due to difficulty hearing.
• Difficulty Hearing High-Pitched Sounds: You may have trouble hearing sounds like the phone ringing, doorbells or alarms.
• Balance Issues: Problems with balance or dizzy spells can sometimes accompany hearing loss.
• Feeling of Fullness in the Ear: People with hearing loss often say their ears feel full.
• Difficulty Locating Sounds: You may struggle to identify where sounds are coming from.

Treatment for Hearing Loss or Impairment

Several treatment options are available for car crash victims suffering hearing loss or impairment, including:

• Hearing Aids: These are devices that are designed to amplify sound and can be very helpful for someone who cannot hear well.
• Cochlear Implants: For severe hearing loss, these implants can directly stimulate the auditory nerve and bypass the damaged parts in your ear.
• Surgical Interventions: These are more invasive treatments performed to repair more severely damaged parts in your ear, such as the eardrum. If hearing aids or implants do not help, surgery may be necessary to restore your hearing.

Filing a Claim for a Hearing Impairment From a Collision in Ohio

Filing a claim for hearing impairment in Ohio is essential for you to recover the compensation you need to pay for your current and future medical costs and other damages associated with your injury. If the other driver is liable for the crash, his or her insurance company could be held financially responsible for your injuries and damages.

However, you need to build a strong case that establishes the other driver’s liability and connects your injuries to what happened during the crash. One of the most important things you can do is seek medical attention as soon as you can after the car crash. Quick treatment could mean a higher likelihood of recovering your hearing.

Quick treatment also helps to directly connect the accident to your hearing loss or impairment, providing strong evidence of how you were injured. Quickly addressing your injury demonstrates its severity and makes it more difficult for insurance companies to challenge your claim.

It is also critical to follow through with your treatment. This is vital for your recovery but also to show the seriousness of your injuries. If you stop treatment, you give the insurance company reason to doubt or devalue your claim.

Do your best to keep track of bills, receipts and medical appointments. This helps your lawyer to track the full cost of your medical care.

Make sure to report all your symptoms to your doctors, including how the injury affects your life, such as a reduced capacity to work, mental health challenges and difficulty communicating. These effects can be included in your claim for compensation.

It is critical that you contact an experienced lawyer right away to discuss what happened and find out how he or she can help you seek compensation. The sooner you call a lawyer the faster he or she can start building a case. Waiting can make it harder to gather evidence and pursue the full value of your claim.

Are You Suffering From Hearing Loss After an Ohio Car Crash? Call Friedman, Domiano and Smith

We know hearing impairment is a life-changing injury that affects many aspects of your life. Our experienced legal team is committed to advocating for your rights and seeking the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today to discuss your legal options. We do not charge you any fees unless we win your case.