Denver Hearing Loss Attorneys
Legal Advocates for Victims of Hearing Loss and Ear Injuries
Our ability to hear helps us navigate the world. Often, our hearing is the first to alert us about danger, whether that be oncoming traffic, a stranger walking towards us on the street, or an aggressive tone. Losing this important sense is traumatic, both physically and emotionally. No one should have their hearing stripped of them, especially not by someone else’s negligence.
At Leventhal Puga Braley P.C., our attorneys have extensive experience advocating for victims of traumatic injuries in personal injury and medical malpractice claims. We understand just how difficult this kind of injury can be and how much it can impact your life. That is why we are so dedicated to helping hearing loss victims get the compensation that they deserve. To get the legal representation of a skilled Denver hearing loss attorney, call our firm at (303) 759-9945 or toll-free at (877) 433-3906 today.
Common Causes of Hearing Loss
The ear is made up of delicate bones and membranes that pickup vibrations in the air. The information from these vibrations is then sent to our brain and interpreted as sound, allowing us to hear the world around us. While ears are an incredible evolutionary development, their delicate nature means that there are a number of ways that they can become damaged. Any damage can lead to partial or full hearing loss, in either one or both of your ears. This can impact your ability to work, live independently, and interact with the world around you.
Common ways that your hearing can be damaged include:
Infection: Ear infections aren’t that uncommon, as water and other fluids trapped in the ear can, such as in an instance of swimming pool accidents, easily cause an infection to start, which may lead to intense pain, loss of balance, as well as damaged hearing. While some people gain their hearing back once the infection heals, it is possible for the damage to be permanent, leading to lasting hearing impairment.
Sudden loud noises: While our ears are designed to take in vibrations and sounds, if those sounds are too loud, our ears can be permanently damaged. A truck accident, especially one involving volatile chemicals that explode, could produce enough sound to cause severe tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
Damage to the cochlea: The cochlea sits in the inner ear and is a spiral-like structure covered in hair-like extensions called cilia. The cilia and shape of this structure help it pick up a majority of the sounds you hear. Loud noises, skull fractures, and head injuries could all cause the cochlea to become damaged, making it difficult to hear.
Damage to the eardrum: The eardrum, which helps pick up vibrations, can burst from an infection or a loud sound, or it could be pierced by shrapnel during an auto accident.
Brain injury: If the connection between the ears and the brain is severe, or the part of the brain that interprets the sounds is damaged, then you may lose the ability to hear despite your ears being intact and undamaged.
The Different Kinds of Hearing Injuries
Traumatic events can lead to a wide variety of ear injuries, each of which can impact your daily life in different ways. Because of someone else’s negligence, you may have difficulties hearing customers at work or have to deal with a constant ringing in your ears. Treating and dealing with hearing loss is also expensive, which is why it is important to hold the person who damaged your hearing responsible in a personal injury claim. The nature of your claim and the compensation you can recover will heavily depend on the type of ear injury you are suffering from.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Typically, if your cochlea is damaged, then it will result in sensorineural hearing loss, which means the inner ear is damaged. Because the cochlea is responsible for a majority of our hearing, severe damage can result in complete hearing loss. This kind of ear damage cannot be fixed with current medical science.
Conductive Hearing Loss: This kind of hearing loss means that you have lost the ability to hear far away or soft sounds. It usually involves damage done to the outer and middle ear, making things sound muffled. Typically, someone with this kind of hearing loss would be considered “hard of hearing,” not deaf. It can be fixed with corrective surgery, which can be incredibly expensive.
Mixed Hearing Loss: Mixed hearing loss means that damage has been done to your outer, middle, and inner ear, or damage has been done to the nerves that link your ears to your brain. In either case, it can result in a complete loss of hearing.
Your life can be severely impacted by each of these injuries. A loss of hearing may make it impossible to perform your normal duties at your job, difficult to enjoy a conversation, and incredibly painful to be around loud noises. However, if the damage was caused by someone else’s negligence, then you may be able to include all these losses in your claim.
Getting the Compensation You Need
While filing a personal injury claim won’t bring your hearing back, it can at least allow you to recover the money you lost due to the accident, as well as leave you with enough money to take the time you need to properly recover. One of the first steps to filing a proper claim is knowing how much you should demand.
First, you will want to calculate your economic damages. This category includes all financial losses you suffered as a result of the accident. It can include:
- Medical bills, past and future
- Hearing aids and ASL classes
- Lost wages
- Loss of employment opportunities
- Property damage
In order to calculate your economic damages, you should hold on to every bill, receipt, and invoice that you get that relates to your accident. If you have this paperwork to back up your desired settlement amount, then it will be harder for the insurance company to dismiss your claim.
After you understand the financial costs of your injury, you should then decide how much you want for your non-economic damages. An accident impacts more than just your wallet. It can cause serious damage to your body and your mind. As such, the state of Colorado allows you to pursue non-monetary damages. That could be:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of enjoyment
- Lowered quality of life
The insurance provider for the at-fault party may try to argue with you when it comes to your non-economic damages, as those are more difficult to prove. However, you should never take a lowball settlement. Remember that your pain is worth proper compensation.
Who Is Liable for Your Ear Injury?
When filing a claim, you will need to determine who was responsible for your injury. This does not necessarily mean that they intentionally hurt you, as many personal injury claims are based on the fact that a responsible party was supposed to keep someone safe and failed in that responsibility. If your hearing loss came as a result of a brain injury brought on by a slip-and-fall, then the property owner of the building you slipped in could be the liable party. If your ear was damaged with shrapnel from a car accident, then the driver who caused the accident could be the one at fault. If you were having corrective surgery and you suffered a surgical infection in your ear, then the surgeon who oversaw your treatment would be responsible in a medical malpractice claim.
Finding the liable party is no easy task. It requires an in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding your accident. That could involve finding security footage, eyewitnesses, and even pulling up records from involved companies. Getting all of this done can be difficult, but for an expert attorney, it’s everyday life.
Contact Our Denver Injury Lawyers for Strong Legal Help
If you are suffering from hearing loss due to someone else’s negligence, you are probably in a difficult position. Your life has been changed forever through no fault of your own, and you likely have a mountain of medical bills to contend with. However, you shouldn’t give up hope. Instead, reach out to Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. Our Denver personal injury attorneys have been advocating for accident victims for more than 40 years and can provide thorough legal advice in an accident claim. With our team by your side, you may be able to get the compensation you deserve. To discuss your case and schedule a no-cost initial consultation, call Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. at (303) 759-9945 or toll-free at (877) 433-3906.
Additional Information
- Hearing Disorders and Deafness - MedlinePlus
- Hearing, Ear Infections, and Deafness - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Hearing Loss - Merck Manual
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