Hearing Loss Lawyers in West Long Branch, NJ

Representing Clients with Hearing Loss Injuries in Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, Freehold, Monmouth County, Ocean County, and across New Jersey

Hearing loss is ultimately the result of trauma or damage to the inner ear and/or nerves near the inner ear. Hearing loss can come about in many different ways. Whether it is from a self-inflicted injury or through a pre-existing condition, hearing loss causes a significant change in the lives of those unfortunate enough to suffer from it. However, hearing loss is also an injury that can result through no fault of your own. It can result suddenly or gradually and can be caused by a number of different accidents. Hearing loss is typically the result from an inner ear injury or trauma caused to the eardrum. Once the inner ear or ear drum suffers trauma, the central nervous system is damaged because it is directly connected to it.

If you or someone you love suffered hearing loss due to negligence by an employer, product manufacturer, construction site management company, or another party in New Jersey, contact Chamlin, Uliano, & Walsh to discuss your rights and legal options for recovering compensation. Our talented team of personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyers has decades of experience helping injured workers, individuals, and those who love them get back on track after suffering catastrophic physical, financial, and emotional trauma resulting from injuries and accidents in the workplace and other locations. If you would like to speak with the lawyer regarding a potential claim for hearing loss in Point Pleasant, Middletown, Ocean Township, Lavallette, and neighboring towns in Monmouth County, New Jersey, contact our West Long Branch office for a cost-free case review. Call today for a free consultation at (732) 440-3950 or complete our online form.

What Makes Hearing Loss a Catastrophic Injury?

For an injury to be considered catastrophic, it must be an injury that is life altering and/or permanent in nature. Since losing your hearing is extremely life-changing, and usually permanent, it can be considered a catastrophic injury.

What Causes Hearing Loss at Work in New Jersey?

Hearing loss can occur in the workplace in a variety of ways. At the workplace, people who use machinery, whether heavy or light, power tools or people working with amplified music are all at risk for loss of hearing. Even people who work with chemicals and/or gases, such as carbon monoxide can experience temporary or permanent hearing loss. Lastly, people working in mines, or those in the manufacturing and construction fields, can also experience hearing loss and not realize that their loss of hearing was caused by their workplace.

Hearing Loss and Pre-Existing Injuries

Hearing loss may or may not be related to a pre-existing condition. It depends on the facts of the case. A health problem such as hearing loss can sometimes be considered a pre-existing condition, or caused by a pre-existing condition, and therefore negates the argument for negligence in causing hearing loss. A pre-existing condition is a health problem that existed before the date of health coverage starts. Hearing loss can be considered as a pre-existing condition. Therefore, insurance companies may be less likely to award compensation for conditions existing before the date of the incident for which you are suing for.

Safety Precautions for Employees to Avoid Hearing Loss

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has certain safety precautions in place to prevent hearing loss in the workplace. For example, OSHA has limited the volume of the noise that employees are subjected to at 90 dBA (decibels) for eight hours and 100 dBA (decibels) for two hours per workday. OSHA has also suggested that installing certain controls to limit the noise level at worksites and workplaces is a good start to preventing hearing loss. If this is not doable for an employer, then the next step would be to distribute protective devices to employees who are subject to high volumes of noise. These devices must adhere to specific qualifications and specifications custom to the employee receiving the protective wear. Employers are also encouraged to limit the use of equipment that may cause high decibel levels of noise.

Occupations Frequently Associated with Hearing Loss

The most common occupations related to hearing loss incidents are those in the mining industry, the manufacturing industry, and the music industry. However, hearing loss claims have derived from those working in construction, road drilling, car manufacturing, and woodworking.

Damages Recoverable for Hearing Loss in New Jersey

Hearing loss incidents happening during work hours can result in workers’ compensation benefits in New Jersey. However, car accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability claims, as well as claims against third parties who were negligent, may also result in compensation being awarded by the courts or during the course of settlement negotiations between insurance companies, the opposing party, and your attorney. Compensation awarded can be used to relieve you from the stresses of not being able to work due to the hearing loss caused, the diminished quality of your life because of the hearing loss, the unexpected medical expenses, and in some cases, any other pain and suffering you may have suffered as a result of the hearing loss.

Hiring or retaining an attorney that has familiarity with hearing loss cases is the first step towards being awarded appropriate compensation. Proving that an employer owes you workers’ compensation, or that someone else is negligent is very difficult, and attorneys who have handled this specific kind of case before know exactly what your case needs to be successful. Despite having all the right facts, you need an attorney who can anticipate the arguments from the other side, someone who can build you an airtight argument, and someone who knows what your case is realistically worth. If someone else owed you a specific duty, and that duty was broken or not met, resulting in total or partial loss of your hearing abilities, the breach of duty then must be shown to be causally linked to the hearing loss and the damage you suffered. Retaining an experienced workers’ compensation and personal injury lawyer can put you at ease in knowing that all of your legal options have been explored and pursued to the greatest extent possible.

The Impact of Hearing Loss on Quality of Living

It isn’t hard to imagine how the loss of hearing can diminish the quality of one’s life, but for our purposes, let’s lay out certain realities present after a hearing loss occurs. The ability to work in certain environments may become increasingly difficult for the deaf, which harshly limits their ability to earn an income. Depending on the damage done, certain medical procedures may be necessary to limit the loss of hearing. These procedures are almost always extremely expensive and difficult to endure. There is no doubt that quality of life diminishes for both the one suffering and their family.

Call a Seasoned Lawyer for Your Hearing Loss Case in Monmouth County, NJ

Contact Chamlin, Uliano, & Walsh for a free consultation with a lawyer dedicated to meeting your needs and answering your questions about filing a claim for financial compensation after hearing loss in Neptune, Howell, Belmar, Freehold, Holmdel, Red Bank, Tinton Falls, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and towns along the Jersey Shore. We are ready to assist you today. Call (732) 440-3950 to schedule a free, confidential consultation to discuss your available legal avenues to obtain compensation.