Acute noise injuries can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss. Sudden exposure to loud noises causes damage to the hair cells in the lower portion of the cochlea, the part of the ear responsible for picking up high-frequency sounds. This injury can result in sounds seeming to be muffled, listeners feeling “full,” and a diminished ability to hear a high-frequency sound. A person with an acute noise injury might also experience ringing in the ears. While symptoms usually resolve within one to two days, a particularly bad injury could cause such severe hair cell damage that at least some of the hearing loss will be permanent.
Chronic noise exposure, while seemingly less traumatic, can cause more permanent hearing damage. It occurs over an extended period as a result of continued exposure to repetitive, loud noises such as construction work or heavy machinery in operation. As repeated noise exposure occurs, small noise injuries build-up, first damaging, then killing hair cells, resulting in permanent and irreversible hearing loss.
We will work with medical experts, certified life care planners, and economists to determine the exact nature of your hearing injury and the anticipated lifetime costs. Then we will aggressively pursue full compensation for the damages you have suffered, including pain and suffering; current and future medical expenses; physical, occupational and vocational rehabilitation; lost income and loss of future earning capacity; property damage, and more.
Whether it is at work, due to faulty equipment, or an accident, hearing loss can happen in many ways. Some common causes of hearing loss include:
Traumatic brain injury
Quick exposure to extreme noise
Prolonged exposure to noise
An undiagnosed medical condition
The medical procedure went wrong
Illness
You have two primary types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural.
Conductive Hearing Loss: A conductive loss occurs when portions of the ear do not transmit sound waves through the eardrum.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Damage to the central nerves, inner ear area, and sound-processing sectors of the brain are prohibiting the transfer of sound to the brain so that the brain might process and interpret what is being heard.
Defective products could lead to hearing loss, such as a product that explodes, and the explosion permanently damages a person’s ears. Also, safety equipment used on the job that is supposed to protect a worker from hearing damage that is later found defective falls under this category.
In this instance, the victim would file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective product and any third party in the supply chain who is also responsible for the distribution of that defective item.
We are proud of our results reported above, but please note that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each matter depends on the facts of the case.
If you suspect that someone else is the reason you cannot hear– contact an attorney. A hearing loss attorney will review the facts of the case to determine which type of claim might apply. Dunnam & Dunnam personal injury lawyers are experienced in handling claims involving hearing loss injuries.
Our Waco personal injury lawyers have represented accident victims in Waco since 1925. We are here to get you through this together. Our goals are the same—to make sure you can get on with your life and that your legal interests are protected. Although every case is different, we have recovered millions for Waco injury victims. We are here to answer questions about your case. In the meantime, you can read a few of the general frequently asked questions about personal injury claims while you wait to schedule a free legal consultation with one of our Waco attorneys.
The Temple, Killeen & Waco hearing injury attorneys at Dunnam & Dunnam include:
Carolina G. Truesdale graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law, Cum Laude, where she discovered her passion for serving families during difficult times.
Mason Dunnam won his first jury trial the day after becoming licensed to practice law. He became a lawyer to fight for the little guy.
Eleeza Johnson has been a member of Dunnam & Dunnam since 2015 and is currently designated as Of Counsel.
Gerald Ray Villarrial has an important goal – to be remembered as someone who cared about people and changed lives through his skill as an attorney.
Jim Dunnam is a Board Certified Specialist in both Civil Trial Law and Family Law. Jim was born and has spent his entire life in Waco.
Vance Dunnam has 60 years of experience as a lawyer in Waco, Texas, handling all types of cases in both the office and the courtroom.
Copyright © Dunnam & Dunnam, L.L.P. All Rights Reserved. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Dunnam & Dunnam LLP maintains this website to provide you with general information concerning itself and its attorneys, as well as to facilitate communications with persons and entities possibly desiring to establish an attorney-client relationship with a law firm or an attorney. Information provided by and through this website does not create any kind of attorney-client relationship with Dunnam & Dunnam or any of its attorneys and, furthermore, does not constitute and should not to be relied upon by you as any kind of legal advice or service by Dunnam & Dunnam or any of its attorneys. Dunnam & Dunnam L.L.P. assumes no liability for the use or interpretation of information contained herein. This publication is provided “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
