Hearing Loss

An individual may suffer hearing loss, either complete or partial, as a result of a car accident, a fall on someone else’s property, an accident involving a defective product, or another harmful event. These types of injuries may require long-term adjustments in communicative skills, as well as potential job disruptions and daily life modifications. The Miami catastrophic injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon assist victims who have sustained hearing loss as a result of another party’s negligent actions. We represent people throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, including in Miami, and West Palm Beach. If you have suffered hearing loss in an accident and want to learn more about your legal rights, contact our office today to schedule a free consultation about your case.

Many different situations may give rise to hearing loss or deafness. A car or truck accident may be so loud that the vibration of the sound alone may cause damage to the eardrums, or in some cases, debris from a collision may enter the ear canal, resulting in hearing loss. Additionally, a traumatic brain injury, which may occur in a motor vehicle accident or a fall, often has an effect on the auditory cortex in the brain, leading to issues with a victim’s hearing. There are also differing types of hearing loss that may greatly affect a victim’s life, including:

• Conductive hearing loss, which affects a victim’s ability to hear lower, subtle sounds;
• Sensorineural hearing loss, which is the most commonly occurring cochlear injury, resulting in a total and permanent loss of hearing; and
• Mixed hearing loss, which combines conductive and sensorineural injuries.

Depending on the type and the severity of the hearing loss, surgical procedures may be curative, but not always. Victims who sustain these injuries due to another party’s negligence may pursue damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of income and earning capacity, among other items, by filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Whether hearing loss is a result of a car accident, a fall, or another incident, most commonly the negligent acts of another individual or entity were involved. To prove negligence, a victim, or plaintiff, must show that a defendant breached their owed duty of care. In car accident cases, for example, a negligent driver may be found to have breached their duty to other motorists by acting unreasonably under the circumstances, such as by excessively speeding or texting while driving. Even if a victim is found to have acted negligently as well, damages may still be awarded in proportion to each party’s degree of fault. Florida follows a pure comparative fault scheme of liability, meaning that even if a victim was partly at fault for their hearing loss injury, compensation is not barred, but the amount is offset by the percentage of responsibility that is determined.

Florida allows three years from the date of an accident for a personal injury lawsuit to be filed. Meeting this deadline and other procedural requirements is essential to preserving a victim’s legal rights and a key reason why it is important to consult an attorney early in the process.

If you or a loved one has sustained hearing loss as a result of someone else’s negligence, the Miami lawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can help you aggressively assert your right to compensation. We assist victims who need a car accident attorney or advocacy in many other types of personal injury claims. Call 877.499.4878 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to find out more about your legal options.