As with any other type of catastrophic injury, hearing loss can change your life. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury that has interfered with your ability to hear, you need to reach out to an experienced Baltimore hearing injury lawyer who can help. These cases, similar to vision loss cases, are often very complex, and having the right attorney on your side can make a huge difference in your case. At Arfaa Law Group, we understand how challenging and debilitating these injuries can be, and we will handle your case with dedication and careful attention to detail.
The Impact of Hearing LossLoss of hearing is a catastrophic injury that can have devastating effects on an individual’s life, including their ability to perform day-to-day tasks. Hearing loss can be divided into two categories: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. The former is caused by damage to the tiny sound-conducting bones of your inner ear or a malfunction of your eardrum or wax that impedes sound waves. This type of damage is typically reversible. The latter results from an inner ear injury or nerve damage, and it can often be permanent.
In a car accident, for example, your ears could suffer injuries in a variety of ways. First, the airbag explosion can make an extremely loud noise that can damage the structures within the ear. Second, hearing loss can be a result of head trauma that can damage parts of the ear, leading to permanent deafness. Other causes of hearing loss could include a traumatic brain injury, perforated eardrum, or skull fracture. Of course, hearing loss injuries are not limited to motor vehicle accidents. They could also take place at the workplace due to a construction accident, such as electrocution or a loud noise. In another example, hearing loss could also be a result of medical malpractice.
If you have suffered hearing loss in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, a hearing injury attorney in the Baltimore area can help you make a claim for compensation for your harm. In most accident claims, the outcome essentially comes down to establishing fault. Determinations of fault are typically made by using the legal concept of negligence. Negligence is a failure to exercise reasonable care in one’s actions or omissions. Reasonable care is defined as how a prudent person would behave under the same or similar circumstances. Thus, what is considered reasonable in a given situation will depend on the specifics of that case. In order to win on a negligence claim, the plaintiff has the burden of proving that the defendant’s conduct was not consistent with the actions of a person using reasonable care and that this inconsistency was a direct and proximate cause of the accident and the plaintiff’s hearing loss.
Once fault is established, a Baltimore hearing injury attorney may be able to help you recover compensation for a variety of damages, such as medical expenses (including surgery costs), pain and suffering, lost wages, disability, the cost of hearing assistive devices (i.e., hearing aids), and any other losses related to the injury. Each case is different, and the precise amount of compensation that you will be entitled to receive will depend on the specific extent of your injury. It is important to note that you do not need to suffer total hearing loss in order to make a claim for compensation. You can make a claim for partial hearing loss, even if it is temporary. Of course, if the hearing loss is permanent, you probably will be entitled to a higher amount of compensation, since there are more costs associated with dealing with this type of hearing loss.
Contact a Dedicated Hearing Injury Lawyer in Baltimore or Surrounding CommunitiesA hearing loss injury can adversely affect almost every aspect of your life, including your career and overall quality of life. If you or someone close to you has suffered a hearing loss injury in an accident that was not your fault, such as an incident of medical malpractice, we are ready to help you. At Arfaa Law Group, our attorneys can work diligently to pursue the compensation that you deserve for your hearing loss injury. You can rest assured that we are committed to providing high-quality, personalized representation to people throughout the State of Maryland. Contact our office today by calling us at 410-889-1850 or completing our online form.