Hearing loss and deafness can have a serious impact on all aspects of your life, including your personal life, relationships, hobbies, and work. Hearing loss can also impact sufferers financially, and you may feel worried about how you’re going to cover the additional costs associated with hearing loss, such as the costs of hearing aids.
In this article, we’re going to explore what types of hearing loss and tinnitus it may be possible to claim compensation for and how you could claim compensation for hearing loss that isn’t your fault.
How to tell if hearing loss is permanent or temporary
Before you find out whether or not you can claim compensation for your hearing loss, it’s important to determine whether your hearing loss is permanent or temporary, because this could affect the amount of money that you could claim for. As you might expect, claims for permanent hearing loss usually pay out more money than claims for temporary hearing loss, although the severity of your hearing loss is also an important factor when calculating claims.
Temporary hearing loss can be caused by a number of issues including blockages in the ear, head trauma, infections, and certain medications. Accidents and trauma that affect your head, such as a car accident, can cause short-term hearing loss, as can the buildup of earwax and other substances within the ear.
Permanent hearing loss causes irreversible damage to your hearing. Some examples of permanent hearing loss include ototoxicity, which is ear poisoning that can result from exposure to certain drugs and chemicals, and prolonged exposure to loud noises, for example, if you work in a factory without sufficient ear protection.
If you’re not sure what has caused your hearing loss or whether your hearing loss is temporary, keep a note of your symptoms and make an appointment with a healthcare provider to discuss your hearing loss and determine the most likely cause of it.
Can I claim compensation for hearing loss?
Yes, it’s possible to claim compensation for hearing loss that isn’t your fault by making a personal injury claim. It’s possible to claim for hearing loss that is the result of employer negligence, car accidents that weren’t your fault, and other accidents and injuries that result from negligence.
In order to claim compensation for hearing loss, you will have to establish the cause of your hearing loss and demonstrate that the person you want to claim compensation from was negligent in their duty of care. This could mean that your employer did not ensure that you had access to sufficient hearing protection to prevent hearing loss during the normal course of your job.
In order to claim compensation for personal injury, you must be claiming for an accident or injury that has occurred within the last three years that is not your fault. You must also be able to show that you’ve suffered financially as a result of the injury as well as physically.
How much compensation could I claim for hearing loss and tinnitus?
The amount of compensation that you could claim for your hearing loss or tinnitus depends on the severity of your hearing loss and how much it has impacted your life.
Compensation amounts that you could claim for depending on the severity of your hearing loss include:
Up to £7,010 for mild tinnitus without hearing loss
Between £12,590 and £14,900 for mild tinnitus with some hearing loss
Up to £45,540 for severe tinnitus and hearing loss
Working with professional personal injury lawyers is the best way to determine how much you could claim.
How to claim compensation for hearing loss
Claiming compensation for hearing loss can be a complicated journey, particularly if you try to do it by yourself. The easiest way to claim compensation for hearing loss is to work with a professional lawyer who can ensure that you meet all of the requirements for claiming before you submit your claim.
The first step to claiming compensation for hearing loss or tinnitus is visiting a qualified medical professional to obtain a formal diagnosis. You must be able to produce a medical report that details the extent of your hearing loss and supports your statement concerning the probable cause of your hearing loss.
You will also have to put together proof of the cause of your hearing loss, whether this is your workplace or an accident. This may involve collecting witness statements from your colleagues and other documents. A legal professional can help you with this.
Finally, you will have to establish that the person you want to sue for compensation could have taken precautions that would have prevented your injuries in the first place. In the case of workplace injuries, this could mean proving that your employer knew that you were working in a loud environment and didn’t take steps to protect you from the possible dangers involved in this kind of work.
Calculate your hearing loss compensation claim today
If you’ve suffered hearing loss as a result of a negligent employer or driver, it’s important to explore whether or not you’re able to claim compensation for the injury that you’ve suffered and the impact it may have had on your finances.
Working with a personal injury lawyer is the best way to secure a positive result when claiming compensation after suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus. You can find out more about personal injury claims here or submit a personal injury claim for your hearing loss on our enquiry page.