Prolonged tinnitus is a condition that up to 13% of UK adults live with – this might even be permanent in many cases. Tinnitus has many possible causes and contributing factors, which could make it difficult to even identify the exact reason you suffer from it. If you experience persistent buzzing, ringing or humming in your ears, you could be among the country’s 7 million tinnitus sufferers; and you may have a case for compensation.
Read on to learn more, including how much your claim may be worth, how to begin a tinnitus claim and how you could prove your condition.
Can I claim compensation for tinnitus?
You’re able to claim compensation for prolonged tinnitus if you believe the negligence of your employer or an individual is the cause of your condition. This could be a difficult procedure, especially without legal assistance, so it’s essential that you hire an accident lawyer to help you. With an 85% success rate and no upfront costs to worry about, Claims Bible can walk you through the entire process of making a tinnitus compensation claim. In many cases of prolonged tinnitus, it’s possible to trace the condition to negligence within the workplace or the specific actions of another person.
While most people experience tinnitus as a natural consequence of age or another health concern, it’s unfortunately also possible for noise-induced hearing loss to result in this condition. This might result from a single accident or you repeatedly coming into contact with loud noise over the course of your workday. You may claim compensation for either, though the latter might help you demonstrate negligence on the part of your employer. If you suffer from tinnitus and believe your workplace is at fault, you can claim compensation.
How much is a tinnitus claim worth?
The actual payout of a successful tinnitus claim depends on a number of factors, including the quality of your legal counsel. The money you receive includes ‘general damages’ and ‘special damages’. The former refers to a general estimation of the physical and mental suffering your tinnitus has caused, while the latter relates to any financial losses or hardships you experienced due to the condition and its symptoms.
The money you receive could include compensation for (but is not limited to) the following:
• Lost earnings if tinnitus symptoms left you unable to work.
• Any distress and physical pain which you had to deal with.
• Medical costs, including for private treatment if applicable.
• The time that friends, family or carers spent helping you.
• Travel to and from appointments relating to your tinnitus.
The amount you receive depends on both the severity of the individual damages and your symptoms, though these generally correlate regardless. Intense symptoms are more debilitating and may result in higher medical costs or greater levels of distress. If these symptoms are alongside noise-induced hearing loss, this also affects your payout. You can use our Tinnitus Claim Calculator to see how much you’re able to receive.
How to claim compensation for tinnitus
If you have tinnitus and believe that your employer or another individual is directly responsible, it’s paramount that you take action as soon as possible, especially if others could be at risk of tinnitus. There is a time limit of three years after your official diagnosis to make a claim, but this can be three years after the incident in question too. We recommend you contact a Claims Bible lawyer to begin this process and collect evidence of the unsafe workplace practices that led to your condition; this can also involve a specialist examining you.
The evidence you put together could include any details on safety equipment or a lack thereof, proof that your workplace neglected to reduce noise levels, and the specialist’s report. The latter details your symptoms, their likely causes and how they have affected you. Even if you’re filing this claim against your current workplace, it would be illegal for them to fire you in return; your job will be safe while claiming compensation. By working with a Claims Bible lawyer, you can be sure you’re receiving high-quality legal advice and guidance across every stage of the tinnitus compensation process.
How can you prove if you have tinnitus?
A key part of any tinnitus compensation case is proving that you have tinnitus – this is where the specialist and their report are very useful. This includes a comprehensive hearing test which assesses the symptoms and their severity, alongside any noise-induced hearing loss you might have. In some cases, an MRI or CT scan could help to rule out other possible causes. Notes from your GP could also be enough to demonstrate you have tinnitus; we recommend getting a specialist’s report as they often elaborate on your symptoms in much more depth.
Other ways of proving your tinnitus and the connection between your symptoms and your workplace include a video of the work environment to indicate noise levels. This may go alongside the report, which can link these conditions with your symptoms and their intensity. If your tinnitus relates to an accident you sustained on-site, an accident report from the time can help further contextualise your symptoms and how they manifest. Claims Bible works with specialists to argue your case and acquire proof of both your tinnitus and how it has impacted your life; this forms the basis of a successful claim.
Calculate your tinnitus claim today!
Our experienced legal team works tirelessly to help you get the compensation you deserve after a preventable diagnosis of prolonged tinnitus. If you believe repeated exposure to noise in the workplace or a single accident that wasn’t your fault to be the root cause, it may be worth making a personal injury claim. This could compensate you for the various physical, emotional and financial struggles which you’ve likely had to deal with as a result of your tinnitus symptoms.
If you have any questions about the process or would like to start your compensation claim, visit our enquiry page. Alternatively, you can check out our blog page to read more articles about similar claims.