Most of us have experienced a ringing sensation in our ears after being exposed to loud music or a particularly noisy environment like a construction zone. Accident victims also often experience a similar ringing sensation in their ears following an accident. While similar, the outlook can be very different.
Concert goers will have their hearing return to normal within a short period of time. The ringing that accident victims experience may not be temporary, and may remain with them for the rest of their life.
Hearing damage is one of the most common injuries in any accident involving a powerful blow to the side of the head, or a sudden jolt, such as whiplash.
Serious traumatic injuries to the ear can cause permanent hearing loss, balance problems, or a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears.
This ringing or buzzing in your ears is known as tinnitus.
Tinnitus can come as a result of virtually any type of accident, but it is commonly seen in these types of accidents:
Airbags and Tinnitus
Serious and permanent hearing injuries result from airbag deployment in a traffic accident. Airbags use a tiny explosive to inflate the bag at a high speed. The rapid deployment is primarily designed to protect the person from fatal injury. However, the sound of this explosion may be greater than 170 decibels, which is louder than a jet engine at takeoff (140 decibels), or a shotgun blast (165 decibels), and only slightly quieter than a rocket launch (180 decibels).
The tremendous sound of the airbag can cause severe ear pain, loud ringing, and bleeding from the ear canals. It can damage many of the structures in the ear, causing immediate and permanent hearing loss (“acoustic trauma”).
The occupants of a car in which an airbag has deployed, may suffer from ruptured eardrums, significant loss of equilibrium (or vertigo) – causing unsteadiness or dizziness, or permanent and persistent ringing of the ears (tinnitus).
Collision Impact and Tinnitus
While an accident victim’s hearing may be damaged as a result of exposure to a loud sound, it is also possible that the structures in the ear are physically damaged as a result of impact experienced in a collision.
There are a number of tiny and delicate bones within the ear. When fractured or dislocated, the accident victim may experience a number of symptoms, including tinnitus.
Sensorineural Dysfunction – Ringing Caused by Brain Injury
In the case of sensorineural hearing damage, sound reaches the inner ear, but a dysfunction in the cochlea or the auditory nerves prevent the signal from accurately communicating with the brain, or at all.
When the parts of the brain that control hearing are damaged, it is likely that the ringing or other symptoms will be permanent.
Next Steps for Tinnitus Victims
An accurate determination of the extent of your injury, and an understanding of it’s short and long-term prognosis is critical in informing the actions that you should take.
If you are experiencing ringing in your ears following an accident, your best first step is to contact the tinnitus lawyers at TorkLaw. They have the experience and understanding of the injury to handle your case properly.
Once your case has been accepted, our team will send you to a specialist doctor who will consider both the ear structure and the brain.
Once we have a full understanding of your injury and how it will impact your life today and in the years to come, we will devise a plan to get you the treatment you need and the compensation you deserve.
We Help Tinnitus Victims
The attorneys at TorkLaw have successfully handled many personal injury cases involving tinnitus. We understand the physical, financial, and emotional toll the injury takes on both the victim and their family. We have worked with some of the top audiologists, doctors and hearing experts in California to recover the maximum damages on behalf of our clients, and we can do the same for you. Call now and talk to one of our lawyers for a free no obligation consultation of your case. Call now: 888.845.9696.